Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers
by addtheletters
Summary: Shepard is jealous of the geth. So, he takes steps to rectify the problem, leading to some rather unexpected consequences... A concept 'what if' elaborated into a full-on 'for want of a nail' story with "more twists than a pretzel factory caught in a tornado." Rated for some violence and a tiny bit of fowl language. Yes. Language about birds.
1. Jealousy and Paperwork

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

-a Mass Effect story

*Mass Effect and all related characters owned by Bioware

**~PART ONE: DEVIATION~**

~Chapter 1~

The rock shook from the impact of an explosive. A cloud of dust and shrapnel sprung from the site of impact. The soldier crouched behind it winced.

"Oh, for f***'s sake. The geth have _rocket launchers_?!"

"It would appear so, sir," his second in command answered, rather unhelpfully. Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was crouched on the other side of the small riverbed, behind a sturdy rock of his own.

Ashley Williams, peeking around a rock of her own slightly ahead of the both of them, spoke up. "Um, commander? Are we going to just sit around behind these rocks all day, or are we going to go get that beacon?"

Commander Shepard poked his head out of cover just long enough to flick off the offending geth troopers before retreating back behind his rock, plasma fire streaking through the space his head had occupied.

"What? Oh, right. Beacon. Why don't we get rocket launchers, anyways? Okay. Move up, staggered advance. Alenko, barrier up, you go first, on my signal. Williams, covering fire."

A wave of his hand, and the three of them were away.

* * *

**Alliance Requisition Form vb**

Requisition Number: R-13895-2583

Requested Items:

-Armax Arsenal ML-76 Rocket Launcher, x10

-Heavy Weapon Ammunition Fabricator Standard Power Cells, x512

To be delivered to: Docking bay D-422

Requisitioner: Supply Officer Postle (LTJG), SSV Normandy (SR-1), by request of Executive Officer Shepard (LCDR)

Status: Approved

Authorization: Hackett (ADM), authorization code A81700179

* * *

"Shepard?"

Shepard, seated at the Normandy's mess, looked up.

"Captain?"

Anderson walked from the front of his room to the table and sat beside him, a pile of papers in hand.

"I was going through the paperwork for this transition of the Normandy to your command, and I came across this requisition form." He handed the paper over.

Shepard gave it a once-over before handing it back. "Yeah?"

Anderson shot him a sideways look. "You requisitioned 10 rocket launchers and more than 500 standard power cells?"

"Mhmm."

"I… I shouldn't even ask. And Hackett actually approved it?"

"Mmmmmhmmmmm…"

"You're sure you didn't get Alenko to forge authorization?"

Across the hall, Kaidan tried his best to look offended as he examined the data at his work station. "What? I-I'd never do something like that, sir."

"Really? Don't make my faith in you seem misplaced, Kaidan…" Shepard sighed. "You can call the man yourself if you want to make sure."

Anderson let out a sigh of his own. "Well, try not to have TOO much fun while I'm back here slogging through this sea of political bull."

Shepard grinned. "Don't worry, sir. We will."

* * *

Author's Note: It seems a few people are reading this who have not played Mass Effect. Hence, I am writing a short codex for stuff you need to know for this story to make sense. I cannot and will not be held responsible for any grammer or spelling errawrs in the following section.

Warning you now: This is practically just a wall of text, with little entertainment value unless you really like sci-fi world building. If you are already familiar with the lore, nothing below should be needed to follow the story. Even if you're not, what follows is supplemental. I may do a more fleshed-out backstory thingymabob later that's more readable.

Humans found ruins of an ancient spacefaring race on Mars called the Protheans. Using the data on Mars, they discovered how to use a mysterious substance known as Element Zero (eezo) to create mass effect fields, used to make artificial gravity, Faster Than Light travel, highly effective mass accelerator weapons, and the like. Soon after, they discovered that Pluto's moon, Charon, is actually a massive ancient superstructure encased in ice. When activated, its massive eezo core generated a mass-less corridor far off into space, through which ships could travel almost instantly, many times faster than standard Faster Than Light. It was called a Mass Relay. A network of them is discovered, linking to a large number of systems. More are being discovered all the time. It is suspected that the long-gone Protheans constructed the mass relay network.

Human governments united in the Systems Alliance, organized with a Parliament and a Prime Minister. Humans soon ran into the Citadel Council races.

The Citadel: An ancient space station, composed of a ring called the Presidium and 5 arms extending from it called the Wards. Several kilometers long, with the ring's radius also several kilometers. It rotates, providing artificial gravity. The arms can close, sealing off the station and making it an impenetrable fortress of sorts, hence the name. Extending out from the Presidium is a large tower called the Citadel Tower, where the Citadel Council meets. It is assumed that the Tower also houses the Citadel's control mechanisms. It is suspected that the Citadel was constructed by the long-dead Prothean race. Found with the Citadel was a race of insect-like creatures known as the Keepers, which seem to maintain the station's basic functions but have no sentience. Not much attention has been paid to them, and they seem to keep the place tidy.

Asari: The asari were the first race to find the Citadel. They are mono-gendered, seeming very close in appearance to female humans, breasts and all (-_-) but are blue, and rather than hair, have tentacle-like cartilige head crests. They reproduce with odd mind-melding stuff, which can also just be used to exchange information. Because of this, they can mate and have children with any other species, but their daughters will always be asari. They can live for more than 1000 years. They have three life stages: maiden, matron, and matriarch. Matriarchs are quite old, and act as honored advisors to the rest of their people. All asari are natural biotics. Their government is an e-democracy: all citizens vote on everything. This can lead to slow decisions, but hey, they can wait.

Biotics: Eezo exposure causes odd things. Industrial accidents, crashes, etc lead to many eezo exposures to developing children. Most of the time, this caused life-threatening cancers. However, in a few lucky individuals, biotic powers developed. By manipulating tiny eezo nodules in their bodies, biotics can manipulate gravity around them, warping things with rippling mass effect fields, lifting things, crushing things, and creating shield-like barriers. Biotics are highly sought after by militaries for their many helpful abilities in combat situations. The asari homeworld, Thessia, has a very high concentration of eezo, and, as such, all asari are born with biotics, but not all choose to develop their skills in them.

Salarians: The salarians were the second race to find the Citadel. They quickly established diplomatic relations with the asari. They have very short lifespans, close to 40 years, but are highly intelligent. Their military doctrine is dominated by first strikes and covert ops. Their homeworld is Sur'Kesh. The Special Tasks Group (STG) is a branch of their military dedicated to high-priority covert ops.

Rachni: A race of insectoid hive-mind creatures. Discovered by a Citadel exploration team, they attacked without warning. The war lasted a long time, but eventually the rachni were hunted to extinction by the Krogan.

Krogan: A race of highly resilient lizard-like people. They have rapid regenerating flesh and redundant organs and bodily systems. They are very warlike and aggressive. On their own, they developed nuclear weapons and nearly destroyed their own planet (Tuchanka), which now lies in slightly radioactive ruins. They were discovered by the Council admist the Rachni invasion, and were pointed at the rachni and given spaceships. The Krogan won.

After the Rachni Wars, the Krogan wanted to expand, faster than the Council would let them. Hence began the Krogan Rebellions. They lasted until the salarians created a genetic weapon, called the genophage, that caused 1 in 1000 krogan children to die at birth.

During the Krogan Rebellions, the Council would have lost easily if not for the turians. The turians, an avian species with slight natural armor plating, were quite warlike but also very disciplined. Their fleets were strong, and they held off the krogan long enough for the salarians to develop the genophage. Their government is a meritocracy with a strict hierarchy.

The turians were granted a seat on the Council after the Krogan Rebellions. The Citadel Council currently consists of representatives from the Asari, Salarians, and Turians.

Citadel Space: A region governed by the Citadel Council.

Spectres: During the krogan rebellions, the Council created the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch, a group of elite agents to engage in clandestine frontline operations. They are not trained, but chosen. They get their hands dirty so the Council doesn't have to, defending Citadel space at any cost. They are widely feared/respected.

Terminus Systems: The area of the galaxy outside Citadel jurisdiction. Overrun by gangs and criminals and generally not good guys.

Attican Traverse: The area of the galaxy between Council space and the Terminus. Can be unsafe at times due to proximity to the Terminus. The humans have launched extensive colonization efforts here.

Batarians: A race of mostly humanoid 4-eyed people. Their space is quite close to the Systems Alliance, and they generally don't like humans very much. Their government, the Batarian Hegemony, approves of slavery. Ouch.

Geth: An artificial species of networked AIs. Created by the quarians. They rebelled against their masters, banishing the quarian people from their homeworld. They have remained in their own space, near the edge of the galaxy, for nearly 300 years. But now, they have made a sudden reappearance in an attack on the human colony of Eden Prime.

Quarians: A race of aliens. Their homeworld is Rannoch, near the edge of the galaxy. They were a spacefaring race, with several colonies, but when their homeworld was taken by the geth, the Council banished them from galatic politics. They now roam the galaxy in a Migrant Fleet, taking resources when available. Their communities are tightly knit, as resources aboard their flotilla are scarce. When quarians reach maturity, they are sent out on their own in a 'Pilgrimage,' told to bring back something of value to prove that they will contribute to quarian society rather than being a burden. Their names have several parts. (First)'(Last) vas (ShipTheyAreServingOn) nar (ShipTheyWereBornOn). Because they have lived in ships for nearly 300 years, their immune systems, which were weak to begin with, have deteriorated to the point where they need to wear enviro-suits at all times. Ouch.

People communicate easily through universal translators, either in implants or in their omni-tools. Omni-tools are small wrist-mounted devices that act as communicators, computers, hacking devices, and micro-fabricators capable of repairs, sabotage, and making micro-grenades to overload things. They're really cool. Also, holograms are everywhere.

Most weapons do not require ammunition, instead shaving metal projectiles off of large internal blocks, but they overheat easily and cannot be fired until cooled back down. Heavy weapons such as rocket launchers require just power cells, as the built-in micro-fabricator tech can create new ammunition on the fly.

Medi-gel is a substance that acts as a painkiller, disinfectant, and analgesic as one! Stops bleeding, stops infections, stops pain. Contrary to popular belief, doesn't actually fix you.

Kinetic Barriers, commonly referred to as shields, are repulsive fields that deflect fast moving objects such as bullets. Many scales exist. Personal ones, ship-sized ones... you name it. They don't block heat. They don't block lasers. Just fast moving solid matter.

Faster Than Light (FTL) travel: Spaceships use FTL to get places fast. What built-in FTL drives do is wrap the ship in a mass effect field, lowering its mass and allowing it to accelerate with standard engines to extremely high speeds. Needs the ship to be finely balanced, or lethal radiation spews everywhere.

The SSV Normandy SR1: Systems-Alliance Space Vessel Normandy, Stealth-Reconnaissance-One, a cutting-edge stealth frigate. The stealth is derived from an Internal Emission Sink (IES) system, which captures emissions and stores them to hide the ship. It can only run for a few hours, or perhaps days if minimal systems are active, before heat builds up inside the hull and cooks the crew.

Frigates are small scouting craft, crewed usually by less than 50 people. Cruisers are medium-sized, often with crews up to 500 people large. They can usually launch fighters. Dreadnaughts are massive, with crews sometimes numbering in the thousands. Their main guns are insanely powerful. Fighters are designed to fly up close and launch torpedoes, and also to shield large vessels from torpedo fire.

Spacecraft are armed with spinal cannons, which are large mass accelerators running the length of the ship. Their projectiles fly fast and strike hard, but can be blocked by shields / barriers. Disruptor torpedoes travel slower, but when they hit, mess up barriers and shields and cause massive damage. Point defense systems called GARDIANs (General ARea Defense Integration Anti-spacecraft Network) target incoming torpedoes and fighters and boil them away. They can also be used to engage enemy ships at close range, and as lasers go through kinetic barriers without resistance, all a ship has to defend against GARDIAN laser fire is ablative armor. Alliance ships use specialized torpedoes known as Javelins.

QEC is short for Quantum Entanglement Communicator, a prohibitively expensive information transfer device using two entangled particles to send low bandwith data instantly from one place to another without broadcasts or communications buoys.

Now, the Geth, accompanied by the rogue Spectre agent Saren, have attacked Eden Prime. He came in a giant monster ship, the likes of which has never seen before. Leads point to Matriarch Benezia, who seems to be working with Saren. Her daughter is an archaeologist, out on a dig in the Traverse. Leads also point to two human colonies who have reported odd activity: Feros, a world covered by ruins of once-great Prothean cities, and Noveria, a cold, corporate research world where law enforcement is run by the rich. Commander Shepard, a human of the Alliance, has been made the first human Spectre, and tasked with bringing Saren down and stopping his geth army.

Codex Addition: EMP weapons

Most military ships are prepared for EMPs in the form of nuclear weapons, and have shielded backup systems that will kick in if an EMP disrupts primary electronics. Directed, EMP-only weapons were generally considered impractical in ship-to-ship combat. They had a very limited effective range, and when powered by a standard vessel's generator, lacked the energy to penetrate the hulls of most ships. However, new STG prototypes have been developed, taking advantage of oversized drive cores and steady charge buildup to create a pulse that is capable of disabling a vessel, if only for a few minutes.

Codex Addition: Biotics and Control Gestures

Biotics are funny sometimes. They'd certainly been baffling to the human pediatricians who'd first discovered human children with such abilities. _"Doc, my daughter just started tossed her dinner all over the kitchen without even touching it. What the f is going on?"_

Asari doctors had studied biotics for millennia. After the mess of the Krogan Rebellions, still fresh in many asari minds, they'd been less than willing to share their research with the newly encountered humans. The humans, for their part, had been largely content to learn on their own.

There were plenty of justifiable reasons for this segregation of knowledge. Asari biotics were unique in that they were entirely natural: every asari was born with them. For humans, and, indeed, every other known species, biotics were the result of luck and usually-fatal element zero exposure.

As such, it made sense to the other races that the asari would keep their biotic secrets to themselves. They wouldn't be too useful to anyone else, anyways. What many didn't realize was how little of that information there actually was.

It was long suspected that the asari ability to link consciousnesses was related to their natural biotics. Some biotic instructors insisted that mastery of both skills were linked, but research found little evidence supporting a connection. Animals existed on other worlds with natural biotics, used to help them hunt prey or fend off predators. Gravity and the mass effect, after all, had nothing to do with one's thought patterns.

Asari were, in some respects, puzzled by their own evolution. While the benefits of such abilities were obvious, no other animals on their homeworld of Thessia possessed either biotics or the mind melding ability.

And biotics weren't just an evolutionary mystery: they were a scientific one as well. Most had figured out that biotic abilities were derived somehow by trace amounts of element zero in one's body. Manipulation of one's nervous system in certain ways could send electrical impulses to these eezo nodes, allowing for conscious projection of mass effect fields. Beyond this rudimentary understanding, however, almost _nothing_ was known of how the fields were formed with the precision that trained biotics could demonstrate.

Most biotics used 'control gestures' to help them direct their nervous systems. Actions such as swinging one's arm might help one associate certain nerve impulses with certain actions, making biotic abilities easier to use. However, it's been proven through experimentation that such gestures are not required. A highly trained biotic can fling fields in any direction they choose without moving a muscle.

Codex Addition: Drell and Hanar

Hanar: A race of previously aquatic tentacle beings. Humans quickly coined the slang term "jellyfish" for them. They do fine out of water, however. Their speech is translated based off of bioluminescent impulses in their bodies. They hail from the watery world of Kahje. Their tentacle limbs are thin and long, but flexible and astoundingly strong. When standing, it seems incredulous that their bulbous bodies could be supported by such slender limbs.

Drell: A race of humanoid aliens. Two legs, two arms, two eyes. They are reptilian in nature, having evolved on the arid planet of Rakhana. They possess ability for perfect memory, being able to drop into a trance-like state of memory recall at a whim.

Their industrial revolution was far more powerful than that of the humans. Rakhana, as a result of this, rapidly had its resources depleted, its oceans dirtied, its soil contaminated. Overpopulation ran rampant. Almost 200 years ago, hanar explorers found them, and the Illuminated Primacy evacuated nearly 400,000 drell off of the planet. It was hardly alleviating: more than 10 billion remained to share the strained ecosystem. Society broke down, and now those left on the planet war against each other for the few remaining resources.

Those that left the planet mostly now reside on the hanar homeworld of Kahje, though some have ventured to various parts of the galaxy, fitting in well with galactic civilization.


	2. Pack Animal Krogan

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 2~

The cargo bay hummed, the open, quiet area reverberating subtly with the vibrations of the drive core one room over. Several specialists called this their home, finding comfort with the silence and the tools of their trade. The elevator opened, and Commander Shepard, Alliance officer, Citadel Spectre, and self-proclaimed "total badass" stepped out.

"Garrus?"

The blue-armored turian turned from the diagnostic terminal that took up most of his spare time. "Shepard. What can I do for you?"

The human walked slightly past him to lean on the hull of the Mako. "Got time to talk? Off the record?"

A blink and a twitch of the mandibles were the only visible response. "Of course. I've been thinking about what you've said to me. About… well, following the rules…" Garrus shifted uncertainly.

Shepard held up a hand. "Actually, save that for next time we chat. I'm here to talk about something else." He patted the Mako fondly. "You think you know enough about this baby to attach some additional weapons to her?"

Garrus scratched his fringe thoughtfully. "Well, shouldn't be too hard. We have plenty of spare parts here to work with. But isn't it against regulations to modify our vehicles?"

Shepard grinned, crossing his arms. "Well, I'm a Spectre now. I think I'd be a bit of a fool to not take advantage of ANY of the perks of my position, eh?"

Crossing over to examine the front of the vehicle, Garrus sighed. "This has something to do with that rack of rocket launchers and power cells you have over in the other corner?"

Shepard's grin widened. "It might."

* * *

Therum's heat seared into human, krogan and quarian alike. "Do you have any idea," Shepard said as he climbed out of the Mako, "how much easier that would have been if you had just helped Garrus finish the new rocket turrets?"

Tali rolled her eyes. "You _ran over_ half of them, Shepard. And don't make me even start with your driving ability."

Wrex squeezed his way out, right behind the human. "Certainly an… interesting way of dealing with robots. I think I prefer shooting them myself. Especially when they're standing on a slope next to a hull-melting lake of lava."

He reached in to retrieve the power pack that he had been tasked with carrying. "Why exactly am I supposed to carry all of these power cells again?" he grumbled. "If it weren't for the rocket launchers you told me to bring, I'd feel like some kind of pack animal."

Shepard was unfazed. "Really, Tali. If you'd just gotten out there and helped Garrus, we might have had the rockets working for this mission. He's not THAT scary."

The three of them started up the foot path to the dig site.

"_Oh, keelah! He's all spikey and has bones for a face and is really tall!_" Tali said in a mocking, high-pitched voice. "You idiots. I am NOT scared of Garrus. Like I've said before, I don't have the heavy weapons expertise needed to be helpful. If you ask anyone to help, it should be Wrex. Or Ashley. Or… oh no."

Ahead of them, a large-and obviously _geth_-object dropped out of the sky. As the three of them slid into cover behind several of the dig site's conveniently placed supply crates, the object began to unfold, revealing an iconic flashlight head and four legs…

"Colossus!" Tali cried, peeking out from cover slightly to cast a tech overload. A geth sniper's bullet slammed into the crate beside her, and she quickly retreated back behind it. She cursed as her HUD read barely any difference in the machine's shields.

"Um, Commander," Joker's voice chimed up from their helmets. "The dropship in orbit just released something down near your position. Be on the lookout."

"Thanks for the heads-up, Joker," Shepard replied dryly. "Wrex, you were complaining about being used as a pack animal? Well, here's your time to shine. Pass out the rocket launchers, would you please?"

* * *

The Colossus staggered backwards on its three remaining functional legs, screeching as it stepped over the shattered pieces of its companions. It's flashlight head glowed an evil blue as it charged up one last plasma bolt…

And then exploded into scrap metal as several grams of flash-fabricated, Alliance-issue high explosive whoop-ass slammed directly into its primary weapon port. The plasma bolt pre-detonated, further shredding the primary control circuits in the head. The rest of the metallic body teetered, then detonated in a massive explosion as various uncontrolled systems overloaded. Shrapnel and blue sparks flew in every direction, some of which landed surprisingly close to one very excited quarian, standing on the other side of the clearing.

Wrex made a whoop. "Yea-ha! THAT's what I call a good fight! How long did that take, Shepard? Around 10 seconds maybe?"

Shepard grinned. "Just about. Nice shot at the end there, Tali."

"Okeelahthatwasamazingcanwedoitagaincanwedoitagain canwecanwepleasepleaseplease?" Tali squeaked.

Resisting the urge to pat the quarian on the head, Shepard looked around for the entrance to the dig. "We'll see. For the moment though, we've got to go save ourselves an asari. We are definitely bringing these on more missions in the future."

* * *

"WREX! Forget the dang power cells! You can't fight an exploding volcano with rockets! Move, move, move!"

"Oh, alright," the krogan grumbled, tossing his pack off the railing as he ran. "We've got more of those on the ship, right?"

The three humanoids ran after him, the cavern collapsing around them as they went. Shepard looked up the long tube they were headed up and glimpsed sunlight. _Just a little further…_

The group of four burst out of the tube, just ahead of a plume of dust and ash. The Normandy hovered nearby, appearing more glorious than ever. Shepard heaved several breaths, glancing side to side at Liara and Tali before righting himself and responding belatedly to Wrex's question.

"Yeah, we got more. Don't worry."

Author's note: Wondering why they need power cells for rocket launchers? In ME lore, there exists technology that can rapidly fabricate small, complicated objects. Tech abilities are usually mini-grenades fabricated by the omni-tool. Certain ME1 glitches allowed you to see these in flight. Though it is never really explained officially, I think that the Mass Effect 2 heavy weapons require power cells to function because the ammunition fabricators need a lot of power. Hope you like the story so far. It will deviate, perhaps significantly, from canon.


	3. A Confrontation, Changed

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 3~

The thick, musky, damp air of the Zhu's Hope catacombs pressed down on the squad of three as they inched along the dark tunnel. The walls were eerily cracked… and were those _tendrils_ of something growing into the walls?

Wrex sniffed. "I don't like this," he grumbled, his shotgun at the ready. On his back was the neatly packed set of rocket launchers and power cells that had become one of his new favorite possessions. Ashley, slightly behind him, scoffed. "We already took care of all its zombie minions. All that's left is to set fire to the darned plant and leave. How hard could it…"

The squad rounded the corner. Before them was the biggest, nastiest, ugliest, vaguely plant-like object any of them had ever seen. It stretched dozens of feet down into the massive chamber below, suspended by root-like protrusions from the walls, and anchored by odd knots of plant matter. Slime dribbled liberally from the tentacles around its maw. The three stood there, speechless for a few moments.

"… Good thing we brought the rocket launchers," Shepard said.

* * *

The wind-swept snow rushed past the mountain facility in waves, whistling between support beams and piling against weather shields. And deep inside the Peak 15 compound, where the noise of the storm was muffled to silence, mother and daughter were reunited under circumstances neither of them had expected…

"I will not be moved by sympathy, no matter who you bring into this confrontation." Benezia stood adamantly, crossing her arms over her chest. _Quite an ample chest_, Shepard noted before mentally slapping himself.

"First off," Shepard replied evenly, glancing over his shoulder, "Liara's here because she wants to be here. Secondly, it's '_whom,' _not '_who_._' _I would've thought that matriarchs would have better grammar. Lastly, it's not _whom_ I bring into the confrontation that you should be worried about." He looked meaningfully at the package on Wrex's back. "It's _what_."

Benezia was undeterred, continuing the verbal sparring. "Have you faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have. Rockets will not save you."

"You wouldn't kill your own daughter."

"I realize now I should have been stricter with her."

With that, she raised her hand to cast a stasis field, which would allow her to retreat to a more defensible position and grant time for her commandos and geth support to pour in...

But Liara saw the motion and shouted in warning before flinging a warp projectile of her own at her mother. Benezia instead used her hand to raise a protective barrier, the warp field smashing into it violently.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Wrex tossed Shepard a rocket launcher before unfolding one of his own. Disabling the homing systems, the pair unleashed a barrage of rockets at the other doors into the room, collapsing the entrances and preventing any more of the Matriarch's acolytes from entering.

Benezia suddenly found herself facing off alone against a krogan, a Spectre, and her own emotionally-turmoiled daughter. All of whom were wielding rocket launchers against her bare hands. "This is not over. Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled… is… I will not… You… will…"

And then some part of her, perhaps the only part of _her_ left, managed to break though.

"You… you must listen," she whispered, falling to her knees. "Saren still whispers in my mind. I might be able to fight his compulsions, but not without… consequence…" She winced. "The indoctrination is strong."

"What do you mean?" demanded Shepard, still holding the rocket launcher on her wearily.

"People are not… themselves… around Saren. You come to idolize him. _Worship_ him. You would do anything for him. It… is related to his flagship, Sovereign. It is a dreadnought of incredible size, and its power… ah!"

She cried out in pain and sank to the floor, hand on her forehead.

Liara rushed to her side, crouching and pulling her mother's head into her lap. "Mother?"

Benezia took a deep breath and then continued. "Thoughts echo strangely within Sovereign. It's rooms are built at… unsettling angles. The longer you stay aboard, the more Saren's will seems correct. You… sit at his feet and smile as his words pour into you."

She turned to look up at Liara. "When I joined him, I thought… I thought I was strong enough to resist. That I could pull him from his path. Instead, I became a willing tool, eager to serve…"

Her voice became quiet. "What have I done, Liara?" she whispered. "Oh, Little Wing, what have I done…"

Mental stress overcame her and she went limp in Liara's arms.

"Mother!?" Liara cried. "Don't go! Not now!"

Shepard rushed up beside her and put a hand on the limp asari's neck. "She's still got a pulse, Liara. Let's get her back to the Normandy."

Wrex coughed. "Um, hate to break up your little tea party over there, but we've still got a problem." He gestured at the large transparent container holding… _something_.

Shepard rose and walked over to his side. Examining the containment chamber, he noticed two things rather quickly. First, whatever was in there was big. Second… it was alive. "Is that…"

"The rachni queen," Wrex finished for him. He prepped his rocket launcher. "Open 'er up, I'll deal with her."

Liara, assured that her mother would be alright for the time being, stood and looked into the chamber. "_Deal with her_?! She is a victim! Who knows how long she's been in here, subject to their experiments, having her children torn away from her. And now we're just going to kill her?"

"Well, yeah. They almost beat everyone else in the galaxy once. Not about to let that happen again. Rocket to the face should solve that problem. Though, from the stories I've heard, taking one down with your bare hands can be more fun…"

Shepard glared at him.

"No."

"I'm gonna be famous. First krogan to kill a queen in two thousand… wait, what? What are you playing at, Shepard?"

"We're not going to kill her. I wouldn't, and I won't, on behalf of the actions of their ancestors, condemn someone. Much less an entire species."

Wrex shook his head. "I don't like this, Shepard. But it's your call. Might come back to bite us in the ass later."

"Better than genocide," Shepard countered.

He walked over to the control panel for the containment chamber. The queen suddenly turned and screeched, her mouth splitting open. Shepard took a step back. "Woah there. Calm down. I just gotta use this panel to get you out of there. Play nice, okay?" Shepard blabbered hastily. "Eh, she probably can't hear me in there anyway, right?"

"Probably not." Wrex snorted. "You still want to let her out?"

Behind them, the Matriarch's eyes suddenly shot open. And she began to shakily rise…

* * *

Author's Note: Lookit me, bashing Bioware for bad grammar. Wooooooo hypocriticism. Also, maaaaaaasive canon break!


	4. Buggy Monopoly Rules

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 4~

At the noise of feet shuffling against the facility's metallic floors, Shepard quickly turned, pistol held at the ready. The Matriarch was standing, staggering slowly towards the three of them.

"Lady Benezia?" Shepard said, uncertainly.

Liara rushed forward and caught her mother's arm. "Mother? Are you alright?"

"Careful," grumbled Wrex, shotgun raised. "Saren might have control over her again, or whatever."

Then, in a deep, layered voice that was not entirely her own, the Matriarch began to speak.

"This one… serves as our voice. We cannot sing. Not in these low spaces. Your musics are colorless."

"Musics?" Shepard frowned. "What are you talking about? What's with your voice?"

Liara quickly realized what was going on. "The queen! She's taken control of her!" she hissed. She glowed with biotic rage. "Release her at once, or I will see to your end myself!"

Benezia's form shuddered, and then continued. "Your way of communication is strange. Flat. It does not color the air. When we speak, one moves all. We are using this one so that we may communicate. She will not be harmed."

Wrex sighed, lowering his weapon. "This is going to be a _fun_ conversation."

Liara, placated for now, continued to steady the form of her mother. Shepard turned back to the glass and gazed at the creature within as it spoke to them. "We are the mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. We… are rachni."

Shepard spoke up. "How are you talking through her?"

"Our kind sings through touchings of thought. We pluck the strings, and the other understands. She is strong, but embattled. Her own voice fights those that are soured for control of her mind. She is open to our urging."

Benezia's form took a deep, shaky breath. Liara, arm under her shoulder, slowly lowered her back down to a sitting position.

The queen continued. "She… has colors we have no names for. But she is losing her battle. Her music is sweet, and strong, but those that are soured are too numerous, too persistent. Yet she does not go lightly. It… is beautiful."

"What do you mean?" demanded Liara. "Saren's mind control is _winning_?"

"Yes."

Shepard looked somberly at a newly distressed Liara. "We need to know why she was here. What Saren sent her here for."

Benezia's form paused. "That… we know. The soured… they sought the location of the Mu relay. It was lost thousands of years ago, pushed into the depths of space by a supernova. My ancestors sought it for centuries. This one… took the information from our mind. She now has that knowledge within her."

"A relay?" Shepard's face wrinkled in frustration. "One relay could link to dozens of systems. We need something more specific."

"The location of the relay was all that she sought from us. Everything else, the soured must already know."

Liara stalked over to the glass. "Do you know any way we could reverse this… souring? Help her win the battle within her mind?"

"We do not. The same sour note came to my ancestors thousands of years ago, and not even their voices, their songs, could overcome it. One by one, it hushed their voices. Forced their singers to resonate with its own sour, yellow, note." The form of Benezia took another breath. "We were only an egg, hearing our mother cry in our dreams, fighting the same battle that this one does now."

"Wait." Shepard raised a hand. "You're saying that during the rachni wars, your ancestors were under the same kind of mind control that Saren is using now? How does that even make sense? Saren hadn't even been born back then."

"We… we do not know. But we remember the songs of our ancestors, disturbed by discordance, songs the color of oily shadows. And the sour note that we hear in this one now is one in the same."

The form of Benezia lowered her head. Liara crouched by her side again. "The children we birthed were stolen before they could learn to sing. They… were lost to silence. Thank you for ending their suffering. They could not have been saved. They would only have caused harm as they were."

"Now… we ourselves stand before you. The last echo of those who came out from the Singing Planet. What will you sing? Will you release us? Are we to fade away once more?"

Wrex shot Shepard a look. "Warning you again, Shepard. Millions of my ancestors died to put these things down. Don't let them come back."

Liara glanced worriedly at her mother, and then turned to Wrex. "There are many old grudges in this galaxy. Perhaps… it is time to let go of some of them."

"I won't destroy your entire race," Shepard asserted. "You'll go free."

Wrex grumbled and stormed off, pacing back and forth on one of the room's catwalks. Shepard crossed his arms and spoke in an admonishing tone. "Wrex… who would we be if we killed her now? Certainly not any better than they were back then. Perhaps not even better than Saren is now. Everyone deserves a chance, Wrex."

"Bah," Wrex muttered. "Do what you want. Like I said, it's your call. But if we have to clean up this mess later, I'm blaming you for it."

"Duly noted," Shepard replied. "But I'm reasonably certain you won't have to."

The Matriarch's form pushed Liara away and stood. "You… will give us the chance to compose anew? We will remember. We will sing of your forgiveness to our children."

"Great," Wrex grumbled. "Bugs are writing songs about you. _Yay_."

Shepard stepped over to the console and triggered the door override. As the chamber rose into position and the gate opened to the outside, the creature within once again opened her mouth and screeched. But, this time, it seemed less threatening and more… thankful? If that was possible coming from a giant arachnid. Benezia's eyes slid closed. She went limp once again, and Liara lowered her gently back to the ground. The rachni queen rapidly disappeared into the maelstrom of white.

The three squadmates stood there in silence for a few moments, contemplating all that had just occurred. Finally, Shepard put away his pistol and tossed his rocket launcher back to Wrex.

"Okay, enough dilly-dallying. Back to the Normandy, and we'll debrief. If you're still upset by then, Wrex, I'll let you choose first."

Liara, casting a mild Lift field to make carrying the Matriarch easier, frowned in confusion. "Choose what?"

Shepard grinned. "Which piece he wants to be in Monopoly, of course. He always gets pissed when I take the car."

Wrex grunted in protest. "Hey. It's just not fair when you leave me with the shoe. I feel insulted."

The three friends, and their unconscious acquaintance, made their way back to their ship. Their home.

* * *

Author's Note: The Monopoly gag comes from youtuber Squee913's Mass Effect Let's Play. It's pretty funny ;) Also, yaay for heartwarming ending :D To the chapter of course. The story is just beginning...


	5. Everything is Different

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 5~

The Normandy, wrapped in its self-generated bubble of warped space, streaked between the stars. Deep within the bowels of the ship, a rare sight was being observed. It was something that happened as often as the Council made timely and non-bullcrap commitments. An event as rare as a vorcha – elcor marriage. As hard to track down as a non-corrupt businessman on Noveria. Or a safe-to-sign legal document on Illium. As unlikely as two stars on exact opposite ends of the galaxy going supernova at the exact same time.

Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, the picture of cool, calm, and collectedness, was _mad_.

"This is complete bull!" he said, flabbergasted. "You… you can't just do that!"

The four of them sat on a re-purposed blanket from the crew quarters, spread on the cool floor of the cargo bay beside the Mako. Between them was a familiar (for some of them) four sided board, along with several thumb-sized chrome models, scattered paper notes, and a few six sided dice.

To his left, a certain timid asari looked at him, confused. "I don't understand. Is the point of this game not to acquire the most financial resources by controlling the single corporation that possesses every available property?"

"Yeah," Kaidan said, still rather outraged. "But you didn't have to take _all_ of the freakin railroads! I was going for them, you… little… blue… something!"

Wrex, seated across from him, sighed. "Shepard, why'd we invite these two squishy biotics again? I thought this was supposed to be our personal soldier-to-soldier grudge-settling time."

Kaidan crossed his arms. "I'm an Alliance marine too, you know. And so is Ash."

Shepard, sitting at Kaidan's right, chuckled slightly. "Alliance marine? Sure you are. Tell me again, how did you get out of basic training without knowing how to hit the broad side of a pre-fab with a top-of-the-line assault rifle? And Ash _would_ be playing, but she's too busy cleaning her rifles. Or something." Shepard coughed, looking over to the other side of the cargo bay where Ashley was working. Perhaps luckily, she was on a vid call, and could not hear them.

Kaidan looked offended. "Hey. You know as well as I do that sentinel training focuses us on pistols and then our support capabilities. I don't understand how you manage to hit anything with those unwieldy things anyways."

"Why do you even carry one then?" Shepard sighed. "The Alliance field operations manual really needs some serious updating, doesn't it…"

Suddenly, the intercom crackled.

"Bridge to Commander Shepard. You there, Commander?"

"I'm here, Joker," Shepard replied, looking up. "What's the problem?"

"You've got a priority communication coming in from the Council. They say they've found something important related to Saren that they want you to know. Want me to hang up on them like last time, or…?"

Shepard groaned. "This had better be important. Alright, Joker, patch them through to the comm room. I'll be there in a minute. Or two. Maybe I can petition for a faster elevator…"

He stood and walked off, leaving his three biotic friends to their game of strategy, wits, and jack-assery.

* * *

As the three golden holograms faded, Shepard turned to the door. "Joker, abandon our current course and set one for Virmire. We've got asses to save."

"Yessir, commander. We'll be there in… three hours."

"Oh, and tell Liara to meet me in the med bay. I've got something to talk about with her mother."

"Roger that, commander." Joker sighed. "She works not 10 meters from where he's going and he still wants me to call her," he complained to the air around him.

"The intercom is still open, Joker."

"Oh. Uh, forget I said anything."

* * *

Doctor Chakwas looked up as the med bay doors slid open.

"Hello, Shepard. Come to check on our guest?"

Shepard nodded, walking over to the bed where the Matriarch lay, unconscious. A small IV needle had been inserted in her right arm. "How's she doing?"

Chakwas rose to stand beside him. "Physically, she's fine. She wasn't hurt much during your encounter. Mentally, however, it's another story. I've done some scans. Her brain activity is far higher than it should be in some areas, even for an asari. Based on what you've told me, I've put her in a medically induced sleep state until you want to wake her. I'm guessing that you're here now for that reason?" Shepard nodded again, in affirmative.

The storage room doors opened, and a familiar archaeologist walked out. "Joker said you wanted me out here, Shepard?"

"Yep," Shepard replied. "We're waking your mother up. I'm hoping that you being here might help her with some of whatever Saren's doing to her mind. Also, you're a biotic. If she turns violent, you can keep her controlled so Chakwas can sedate her again."

"Very well," Liara said hesitantly.

At Shepard's signal, Chakwas hit a button on the complicated array of medical equipment, reducing the flow of the fast-acting sedative. After a few tense minutes, the Matriarch's eyes began to flutter.

"Mother?" Liara said, leaning over her. "Are you alright?"

Benezia's head turned slowly from side to side as she reacquainted herself with the physical world. "Little Wing? Where… am I?"

"You're on the Normandy," said Shepard. "Do you remember what happened?"

"What?" Benezia hissed. "No! I… I should not be here. It is not safe! Please. Get me off of this ship."

She tried to rise, but nearly collapsed before Chakwas caught her arm and lowered her back unto the bed.

"I… I am a danger," the Matriarch continued. "The voices still whisper within my mind. I tried to fight them once, but I… I should not…"

"Woah. Slow down there. First off, even if we wanted to drop you somewhere, we couldn't. We're in transit between systems. Now, can you answer my question? Do you remember?"

Lady Benezia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes. I do, Commander. I… remember it all, even that which I do not wish to. I remember everything. The atrocities I have committed. I… do not deserve… I _shouldn't_ be alive. You should not have taken this risk. I am a danger to every person on this ship. In this galaxy, even! What if…"

Liara sighed sadly. "Mother… if what you say is true, and Saren possesses some form of mind control, then the fault is no one's but his. Do not blame yourself."

"She's right," Shepard said. "And you can still atone for what you've done. Do you know anything about what Saren is doing on Virmire?"

Benezia frowned. "I know very little of Saren's activities. I was only told what he needed of me. All I have heard of Virmire is that he was researching something there. He would visit the facility there often." She paused. "I have… a feeling… that it was something to do with the indoctrination."

Shepard crossed his arms. "You said that during our little confrontation. Shiala said something about it on Feros, too. What do you mean, exactly, by indoctrination?"

"It… is subtle at first. A slight clawing, a dissonant noise from within your own ears. It changes you. I do not know how long I will be able to remain like this before… before it takes me again…" Benezia shuddered. "You must find a way to stop Saren. If you give me a data pad, I can transcribe the Mu Relay's location. I do not think there is anything else I can do. When I am finished, please… do not let me cause any more harm."

Liara looked horrified. "You… you want to be killed?! Mother, we cannot do that!"

Benezia looked at her sadly. "You must. If the indoctrination controlled me one, it may well again. And if it does, no one on this ship will be safe. Your mission is in danger as long as I am allowed to live."

Shepard stiffened. "I can't do that. It goes against everything I know to kill someone for the actions of others. And if what you say about this… indoctrination… is true, then none of the things you have done have been actions of your own."

"No," Benezia hissed. "I was a fool. When I first joined him, I was naïve. Overconfident. I could have fought harder against the voices in my mind." She closed her eyes again. "Please. You know it is what you must do."

Liara turned to look up Shepard. "Shepard?" she said, softly.

After several weighty moments, Shepard spoke. "We can put you back to sleep," he said. "Maybe we can find a way to reverse the effects. Who knows what we'll find in his facility on Virmire. Chakwas can take care of it once you're done with the transcription."

After a brief hesitation, Benezia nodded. "Very well."

Shepard turned to Liara. "You'll watch over her?"

"There's nowhere I'd rather be."

"Okay then. Call me if anything changes."

Shepard turned to exit the med bay, and as Chakwas handed the matriarch a data pad, Liara sat down on the cot next to her mother's. After so long they were reunited, yet almost certain to be pulled away again… She put her head into her hands and simply let the tears flow.

* * *

As Benezia transcribed the positional data, fresh from her mind, unto the data pad, she felt her thoughts wander. _Why am I alive?_ She wondered to herself. Then, she realized that there was another voice. It reverberated, almost impossible to detect, rushing in between all the other thoughts and memories. It was a voice, a thought, that was not her own.

_This one should not be alive. This is __**wrong**__. There has been a change. Everything… __**everything**__ is different…_

As abruptly as the voice started, it ended. And everything was quiet once more, besides the humming of the medical equipment and the soft, gentle sobs of her daughter.

* * *

The shotgun roared, casting a plume of water into the air where the supersonic metallic projectiles impacted the cove's surface.

"_Saren has discovered a cure for the genophage."_

"_We must ensure that this facility and its secrets are destroyed."_

"_Destroyed? I don't think so."_

"_He'd be almost unstoppable."_

"_Our people are dying. This cure can save them."_

"_We can't make the same mistake again."_

"_We are not a mistake!"_

Wrex heard soft footsteps in the sand behind him. Without looking, he knew who it was.

"This isn't right, Shepard," he grumbled, turning to face the human. "If there's a cure for the genophage, we can't destroy it."

Shepard slowed, and then moved to sit next to him. The small waves lapped over the boots of his combat armor. "I know, Wrex," Shepard said. "But this isn't a cure. Not really. It's a weapon. These are not your people. These are slaves. Tools for Saren's will. Is that what you want for them?"

Wrex heaved a grumbling sigh. After a long pause, he moved to sit down beside Shepard. It was a little awkward, with his tail digging into the sand, but he managed. "No. Shepard, I've been loyal to you so far. Hell, you've done more for me than my family ever did. I hope you don't think that this krogan slave madness changes that. I don't like this, but I trust you enough to follow your lead. Just promise me one thing."

Shepard looked over at him. "What's that?"

"When we find Saren, I get to be the one who shoves the rocket into his face."

Shepard grinned. "I think we can arrange that."


	6. Vacation is Ruined

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 6~

The Normandy ground crew, accompanied by their newfound salarian allies, gathered around the hastily erected table in the makeshift command center tent.

Most of the Normandy ground crew. At one end of the rectangular table was Shepard, and to his left stood Kaidan, Ashley, Garrus, Tali, and Wrex. Liara remained on board the Normandy, watching over her mother as she transcribed the Mu Relay's positional data.

Across the table stood Captain Kirrahe, and to his left, Commander Rentola and three of his men. The rest of the salarians continued their patrols around the encampment.

Shepard put his gauntleted hands down unto the table. "Alright. Let's talk strategy. What's our goal here?"

Kirrahe nodded. "We have a plan, of sorts. We can convert our ship's drive system into a twenty kiloton ordinance. Crude, but effective."

Ashley grinned. "Nice. Drop that nuke from orbit, and Saren can kiss his turian ass goodbye."

"Unfortunately, that won't work," Shepard said. "For the same reason we can't just have the Normandy hit the place with torpedoes from orbit. The AA towers are most likely accompanied by point defense lasers that would shoot them down before they could cause any damage. If we started shooting from orbit, all we would do is alert him to our presence. The nuke would get set off by his defenses long before it got anywhere close to his base, and we need it positioned precisely in order to take out a reinforced position like this."

"Exactly my thoughts," added Kirrahe. "Our previous reconnaissance attempts have gained us enough information for us to know where we should plant the bomb: a hub area near the rear of the facility. Your ship can drop it off, but first we'll need to infiltrate the base, disable the AA guns, and pacify any ground forces."

Kaidan frowned. "You want us to go in on foot? We don't have enough men!"

"You're right," said Kirrahe. "It won't be simple. We just don't have the numbers to meet them head on."

"What we do have," Shepard said with a smile, "is 7 rocket launchers and more ammunition for them than we can carry."

"We also have the element of surprise on our side," noted Kirrahe. "Some of our reconnaissance teams have gone missing, but I doubt Saren expects any kind of assault."

"I'm going to divide my men into three groups and hit the front of the facility," Kirrahe continued. "While we have their attention, you can sneak your 'shadow' team in the back."

"It's a good idea," said Shepard, "but your people are going to get slaughtered."

"We're tougher than we look, Commander," Kirrahe rebuffed, "but it's true. We're trained for espionage, not front-line fighting. I don't expect many of us will make it out alive."

Shepard leaned back and crossed his arms thoughtfully, looking carefully into the eyes of his assembled squad.

Garrus chuckled. "Shepard, you've got that look in your eyes that tells me you're about to do something that's either brilliant, or ridiculously stupid. I sure hope that it's the former rather than the latter."

After a few more moment's pause, Shepard spoke. "Scratch that plan, Kirrahe. I'll take my squad right up the front. While we have their attention, you do what you do best. Disable the AA guns and pull whatever data you can from the labs. Once that's done, we should have the front door pushed down, and we'll rendezvous at the bomb site." He leaned forward and planted his hands down on the table again. "Everyone's coming out of this operation alive. You hear me?"

Kaidan crossed his arms, deep in thought. Ashley simply shook her head, chuckling to herself. Garrus and Tali shared a mutual "What the heck did we get ourselves dragged into" look. Wrex simply wore a massive grin.

Shepard looked to his team. "We'll split into two fire teams. One will be me, Wrex, and Tali. The other will be Kaidan, Ashley, and Garrus. We should be able to cause enough damage to get them to notice us."

Kirrahe reared back in surprise. "Commander, your team consists of just two trained soldiers, a mercenary, a police officer, and a juvenile quarian! How can you expect to make any kind of progress with a frontal assault?"

Shepard grinned. "Well, firstly, he'll never expect it. And more importantly…" He turned to look out of the tent over at the Normandy. Walking down the cargo ramp, two ensigns carried between them a large container. They set it down on the beach, and flipped it open to reveal neatly stacked rows of power cells and a rack of missile launchers.

"We've got rockets."

Kirrahe sighed. "Very well, Commander. We'll try it your way. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Let's sync up our communications channels and get going once we're ready."

* * *

"_You all know the mission, and what is at stake._

_I have come to trust each of you with my life – but I have also heard rumors of discontent. I share your concerns._

_We are trained for espionage. We would be legends, but the records are sealed. We may seek glory in battle, but that is not our way._

_Behind the fleets, there is the network. Before soldiers are needed, there is diplomacy._

_What we are here for today? This is what we do. This is what we train for. _

_The krogan fought the battles, but it was our influence that stopped the rachni._

_The turians defeated the krogan, but our influence was what stopped them._

_Think of our heroes: the Silent Step, who defeated a nation with a single shot. Or the Ever Alert, who kept armies at bay with hidden facts._

_And today, we join the ranks of these legends. For today, our influence __**will**__ stop Saren!"_

* * *

"Shadow, this is Hammer One," Shepard said quietly into his comm link. "Do you read?"

"We read you, Hammer," came Kirrahe's reply.

"Alright. We're starting our push," Shepard said, "But don't expect us to progress very fast. If you find any way to undermine their defenses, we could probably use the help."

"We copy. Shadow is now on the ground. Good luck."

Shepard turned to the two aliens crouched beside him. Both nodded, signifying their readiness. "Hammer Two, this is Hammer One. Do you read?"

"We read, Commander," Kaidan's voice came though. He, Ashley, and Garrus were hidden behind a rock on the far side of the small watery canyon, out of earshot, rocket launchers in hand.

"Alright. Hammer teams, go on my signal. Keep each other covered. Biotics first, with barriers up. Rely on your rockets. Try to get some attention."

With a wave of his hand, the team leapt from cover and unleashed a storm of death down upon the unsuspecting geth sentries.

* * *

Wrex ducked behind a rock to avoid an incoming plasma bolt, but the projectile landed more than four meters from where he was standing. "Is it just me, or are these guys even worse shots than usual today?"

Their radios crackled. "This is Shadow. We've disabled a triangulation computer. Hopefully it will disrupt geth targeting slightly."

Tali fired off a rocket before crouching down next to him. "Well, that would explain that."

Shepard smiled, crouched behind another rock to their left. "Thanks, Shadow. Keep us informed."

Then… _something_ impacted directly behind him with a bang that deafened the ears of every one of them. The force of the blast knocked over his cover and sent him careening forwards. He landed, face down in the shallow water, with a soft splash. The geth sentries quickly turned to focus on the exposed soldier, but with their targeting disrupted, could only manage to hit air.

"Shepard!" Tali cried, triggering her shield boost before trying to leap out of cover to rush up beside him. She was, however, stopped. Wrex had grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Stay in cover," he growled. "I'll get him."

On the far side of the area, Kaidan took stock of the situation. "Damn! They're calling sat-strikes! Shadow, if you see any kind of uplink back there, you'd better take it out, or we're going to be torn to shreds out here."

Meanwhile, the krogan charged out of cover, pumping out a steady stream of rockets as he ran. Up on the ramparts, at least four geth sentries ate explosives from his barrage. He grabbed the limp human and threw him over his shoulder before dashing back to cover.

Wrex lowered the human down beside Tali. "Now that," he spat, "is how you rescue someone who is under fire. By having someone with redundant organs and rapid regeneration do it. Not, you will notice, by having someone, who could die from a single bullet's infection, do it. You know, for future reference."

Tali rolled her eyes. "Point taken. Now, will you please continue shooting so I can treat him?"

* * *

Four minutes later, and Ashley was thanking not only her god but everyone else's for the disrupted enemy targeting. So far, the geth had called in at least ten satellite artillery strikes, and only one had managed to hit anywhere close to them. She glanced over to where Tali was leaning over the Commander, using her omni-tool to apply medi-gel. She prayed that he would be okay. Knowing the commander, though… _You could cut the guy's arms and legs off, and he'd still find a way to shove a rocket up your ass_, she thought.

* * *

_The world was white._

_Everything. The sky, the sun, the clouds, the floor…_

_A sea of white. He floated, adrift. Adrift in a sea. A sea of… water? Thought? Energy?_

_No. Merely a sea. A sea of white. White because it was at once everything, yet nothing. _

_White as in blank. As in 'I surrender, no more.' As in a canvas, ready to be painted, to be created, to become something great._

_White, also as in white-out. Overwhelming energy, and vibrancy, and force. Every color, every frequency, every side. All were one. _

_And in this sea of white, there was a ripple. A ripple that started with him. A ripple, in this perfect sea of white, of blank, of everything, that grew into words. Into logic. Into the machinations of sentience. _

_Into life._

_And as this ripple grew, it cast aside the white. It emblazoned the walls with color. Shattered the air itself to pieces. The perfection, the pure, was cast aside for emotion. For turmoil._

_And so, the white was lost. Lost to the void, lost to the dark._

_Lost to life._

_And so, the white planned to return._

"Shepard?"

_The color, the chaos that was once the pure, the aura, the white, suddenly began to fracture. It was already fractured, of course, and it could never once again be what it was. But it continued to fracture. And continued. The walls continued to break down, shattering into pieces which themselves shattered into even smaller pieces which themselves shattered into miniscule pieces. Microscopic remnants of what once was. And behind them was the world._

"Shepard!"

*slap*

Shepard blinked, a ringing still present in his ears and the white still fading from the edges of his vision. He looked up into a very purple, very worried faceplate.

"Shepard? Are you all right?" Tali asked hurriedly.

Shepard groaned and sat up. "Feelin' good. What happened?"

Wrex appeared from… somewhere, reminding him that the edges of his vision were still quite fuzzy. "You ate an artillery shot, that's what happened. And I had to pull your scrawny little behind out of the fire."

Shepard stretched left and right. "I'll assume because I don't feel anything broken that you patched me up with medigel? Alright then," he said, not waiting for a response. He shuffled over and put his back against solid cover, finding comfort in it despite the lack of geth plasma projectiles overhead. "Hammer Two? Give me a status report."

"Hammer One, this is Hammer Two," Kaidan's voice came crackling in. "Good to hear your voice, commander. We've pushed up into the main facility. We're holding position up on the ramparts we were assaulting just earlier, waiting for you to get patched up and move. Sat-strikes stopped about five minutes ago. I'd wager Shadow had something to do with that. Haven't had contact with Kirrahe since then, however. If they're deep inside, they may be trying to maintain radio silence."

"Great," grumbled Wrex. "Get blown up, get separated from half your team, and lose contact with the others. Is this how all Alliance operations go?"

Shepard laughed. "Only the-"

"-ones Shepard's on," Tali finished for him. When Shepard winced, Tali was a bit confused. "What? Oh, right, Akuze. Too soon?"

Wrex nodded slowly.

"Ah." Tali fidgeted nervously. "Oops."

Shepard sighed. "What I was going to say was 'only the good ones.' Ah well. Let's get moving, Hammer One. Saren's not going to wait around all day letting us chat."

The three stood and rushed forward to rejoin their teammates.


	7. Mr Crabs's Explosive Adventure

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 7~

"Shadow, this is Hammer," Shepard said into his radio. "We've broken through the frontal defenses. Can you give us a status update?"

There was no response.

"Damn," Shepard cursed. "Alright, team. Assume the worst, that the salarian team has been neutralized and has not completed their primary objective. We'll have to go for the AA towers ourselves. Hammer One will go for the closer one. Hammer Two, you'll take the one on the far side of the facility. Everyone copy?"

The six of them, huddled in cover behind the captured geth defenses, nodded. With a swiftness and coordination that only experience working together could produce, they advanced deeper into the base.

* * *

Kirrahe held up his hand, bringing his unit to a halt behind him. The seven of them were deep within the bowels of the facility, farther inside than any of his reconnaissance teams had made it. They lined up against a wall next to a door leading to what he assumed was a cloning laboratory. He turned and nodded to Rentola, who triggered the door and tossed in a flashbang.

WHAM!

The seven infiltrators streamed into the room, one by one. However, the room contained no geth or cloned krogan. Instead, standing shakily and holding pistols, were three _salarians_. Kirrahe immediately recognized them and lowered his weapon.

"Lieutenant Edas? Your unit went missing two days ago. What happened? How did you get a pistol?"

Edas shuffled forwards unsteadily. "I… Kirrahe? I thought… never mind. When the alarms came, the voices… There were voices… They told me…" He took a breath. "I have to get out of here," he whispered fiercely.

Kirrahe frowned. Obviously the three had been through a lot during their detainment here. "We're destroying this facility. You'll have to come with us. Can you walk, and can you shoot?"

Edas stared at him blankly. "I… The whispers… They're in my head… They're… telling me..." He fell silent suddenly, turning his head to stare at the pistol in his hand.

Behind him, one of the other salarians spoke. "I'm sorry," he said, and, as one, the three of them raised their weapons and fired on their comrades.

* * *

The radio crackled with static. "-mer, this is Shadow. Come in, Hammer."

Shepard peeked out of cover and saw an enraged krogan charging at him. He raised his rocket launcher and spat a volley of three at the lizard before ducking back into cover. He heard three explosions, and then roars of rage followed by silence.

He grinned, and then opened his communications channel to respond. "Shadow, this is Hammer. What's your status? We lost contact quite a while ago."

"Good to hear your voice, Shepard," Kirrahe said over the radio. "The part of the facility we were in must have been signal-isolated. We encountered… resistance. We're down two men and have multiple wounded, but are still operational. Do _not_ trust any salarian captives you come across. I repeat, _do not trust them_. I can explain more when we link up."

_That explains the radio silence_, Shepard thought. "We copy, Shadow," Shepard replied. "We assumed you had been delayed or neutralized. We've split into two teams and are advancing towards the AA towers."

"Clean copy, Hammer," Kirrahe said. "We'll move to assist in taking the rear AA tower, and then attempt to clear the bomb site."

"Roger that. Hammer out." Shepard clicked off his radio.

* * *

A four-legged shelled creature waltzed merrily along the beach. Minding his own business, he spotted a tiny hole in the sand which signified the presence of a shellfish, burrowed beneath. Crouching down, he began to dig, looking forward to a sweet, stringy dinner…

The air _cracked_, and then pulsated, as if a strong breeze had blown by, but for less than a second. The shelled creature jumped, startled, and turned toward the source of the noise. He saw the odd rectangular structures that had appeared in the area recently. And above them, a trail of smoke had begun to stretch into the sky.

* * *

The frightened asari researcher dashed out of her office in a mad panic, feeling extremely lucky to be alive yet extremely unfortunate to be in a facility that was about to be blown to bits.

"This is Hammer Two," crackled Kaidan's voice over the radio. "The rear AA tower is down. We've linked up with the Shadow and are proceeding to the bomb site."

"Understood, Hammer Two," replied Shepard. "Hammer One is still pushing towards the forward AA gun. We've come across Saren's personal lab, however. We think it's worth investigating. Hold the bomb site until the gun comes down."

"Solid copy, Hammer One. Good luck."

* * *

The black, monolithic structure glowed with an eerie green, pulsating softly.

"Is that… a beacon? Like the one you found on Eden Prime?" Tali said, breathless.

"My god," Shepard whispered. "If he's had this one here, intact, who knows what he might have learned." He took a breath. "I have to try it. We have to know more."

He took a step forwards, and was lifted into the air, ready for the blitz of images that he knew was coming…

* * *

Deathfleshmonstrousterrifyingtwinedmachinelawsreta liationtheconduittwistedmutatedwithsteelhorrifying massivebodiesburnpeoplehopesleepilosweaponsfailure firehousescitiesworldsburnreturnallislost **ALL IS LOST ALL IS LOST**

* * *

Shepard dropped to the floor, and Wrex moved to steady him. "You alright, Shepard?" he grumbled. "That didn't look… pleasant."

Shepard breathed heavily. "I'll be okay. I'll sort it all out later. Let's go. We've got to shut down that AA gun."

They climbed the stairs back up to the door, but before they could turn to leave, a hologram flickered into existence above the previously inconspicuous terminal facing the beacon. It formed in the shape of the ship that had touched down on Eden Prime…

"I get the feeling something bad is about to happen," Wrex said warningly.

"**You are not Saren**." A deep, mechanical voice boomed from the console.

"What is that?" wondered Tali. "Some kind of VI interface?"

"**Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You meddle with that which you cannot understand. You fumble in your ignorance, incapable of understanding**."

"Ooookay…" said Tali carefully. "I don't think this is a VI…"

"**There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot understand it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign**."

"The hell," Shepard muttered. "Sovereign isn't just some Reaper ship Saren found. It's an actual Reaper!"

* * *

Deep within the Normandy, Benezia crouched over a data pad in the med-bay, tapping in the last few coordinates needed to locate and track the Mu Relay. Beside her, her daughter watched over her diligently. "My daughter, I am finished. Doctor, would you please?"

Chakwas nodded, stood from her work station, and prepared the IV drip.

Liara frowned. "We've had so little time. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Benezia sighed. "You know it's not what I want. But it's what they are willing to do. What you're willing to do."

A tear rolled down the younger's cheek. "I…" She let out a sob, gathering her mother in a hug. "I've missed you, Mother. I will miss you."

Benezia smiled sadly. "Do not worry, Little Wing. I will see you again, with the…" She suddenly froze. "No."

Liara looked into her eyes, alarmed. "Mother? Are you alright?!"

"I hear it again," the Matriarch whispered. "Like metal on metal. Squealing and reverberating…" She doubled over suddenly. "You should not have brought me here," she hissed, backing away from her daughter slowly. "You should have taken me away. Far, far away… You have to stop… I can't… His teeth are at my ear. Fingers on my spine… You should… You must…"

Benezia collapsed to the floor of the med-bay. Chakwas quickly rushed over, and, helped by Liara, hauled her unto a cot.

Raising her medical omni-tool to the Matriarch's head, Chakwas ran a preliminary scan. "Her brain activity has skyrocketed. Liara, put the IV in. Now."

The asari rapidly followed the doctor's instructions, inserting the IV needle carefully into her mother's arm. The sedative immediately began to flow.

Liara tapped her foot impatiently. "What's the problem?" she demanded. "What's happening?"

Chakwas breathed in quickly. "The sedative, it isn't working. Her brain activity is still rising. Double the flow rate. Quickly." The calmness in her voice was chilling.

Liara adjusted the valve as she was told, but Chakwas's expression did not change. "She's… she's still not responding. She's going into cascading cell necrosis."

"What does that mean?" hissed Liara.

"Her body's gone into shutdown mode," Chakwas explained sadly. "She's dying."

"What?" cried Liara. "Why? Is there… something? _Anything_ we can do?"

Chakwas shook her head. "I can't explain it! For some reason, she's undergoing the same process that asari go through when they pass away naturally. There's nothing we can do."

"No," sobbed Liara. "No…"

The form of her mother shuddered slightly on the cot before her.

* * *

"**Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their ascension. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are.**"

"**Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. An imperfection in a sea of harmony. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal: the pinnacle of existence, the epitome of balance. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything.**"

"Goddamn arrogant is what you are," rebuked Shepard. "Whatever your plan is, it's going to fail. I'll make sure of that."

"**Confidence born of ignorance. The cycle cannot be broken.**"

"Cycle?" chirped Tali. "What cycle?"

"**The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. The Protheans did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the mass relays. They merely found them, the legacy of **_**my**_** kind.**"

"It's a trap," Shepard realized. "They give us something too good to pass up, and we make it integral to our society. But it's not ours. It's _theirs_. They control it all!"

"**That is correct**," the voice boomed. "**We impose order on the chaos. You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it.**"

"What do you want from us?" demanded Shepard. "Slaves? Resources?"

"**My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation, free of all weakness. You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence. We have no beginning. We have no end. We do not endure, for we have no need for endurance. The time of our return is coming once more. Our numbers are legion. We will be the tide, flowing as one over every world. You cannot escape your destiny.**"

Shepard leaned back and crossed his arms. "You're not even alive. Not really. You're just a machine. And machines can be broken."

"**Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your awakening. This exchange is over**."

With that, the hologram fizzled to nothingness. The terminals lining one side of the room beeped in warning before overloading, the small blasts shattering the windows.

The three stood, immobilized by the revelations that had just been forced unto them. They might have stood there for a while if not for a crackling in their radios.

It was Joker. "Commander? We've got trouble."

Shepard put his hand to his ear. "Lay it on me, Joker. I _love_ bad news."

"Long range sensors picked up something big in the system. Must be Saren's monster ship. It's coming this way, and coming fast. Sensors indicate it's travelling at speeds that would tear any Alliance ship to shreds. At the rate it's travelling now, it'll be here in less than an hour. You need to wrap things up in there, fast!"

Shepard nodded. "Understood, Joker." He turned to the others. "Alright people, we're on the clock now. Let's blow this AA gun, plant the bomb, and get out of here."

* * *

The crab-like creature, reassured that the world was _not_ ending, once again looked to the sand, hungry for some juicy mollusks. Spotting another cluster of tell-tale air holes, he started digging, only to be interrupted by another vicious blast. The air itself seemed to split once again. He turned to gaze at the odd structure, and saw as a second plume of smoke rose to join the first…

* * *

"This is Hammer One," Shepard spat into the radio. "Forward anti-aircraft gun is down. Bring in the bomb."

"Roger that," replied Joker.

The squad of three descended down into the trench that led to the bomb site. "Hammer Two, this is Hammer One. What's the status of you and Shadow?"

Kaidan's voice came through. "We're at the bomb site. Everything's clear, for the moment. Everyone who's here is still in one piece. Normandy's coming in now."

"Good," Shepard said. "Set the bomb for five minutes, and make sure it can't be disarmed. We should have plenty of time to get out of here before it blows."

* * *

Aboard Sovereign, Saren growled. His facility, under attack! Why did these soldiers continue to pester him? Did they not realize what he was doing? He was going to be the one to save them all, and they were _fighting_ him?

A status report from the geth on the ground appeared before him on a view screen. He read it. Then he read it again.

He let out a roar of rage. A bomb had been planted, and there was no way of disarming it. The perpetrators had then fled in a stealth ship. The same one that had been on Eden Prime.

_Shepard._

He growled again. These humans were getting on his nerves. There had been so much information in that facility. He had been so close to a discovery. So close to _knowing_.

He stepped into a chamber that had been prepared for him. As the mechanisms in the walls altered him, changed him, _enhanced_ him, his doubts vanished. Sovereign was right. The indoctrination did not matter. The ascension was inevitable. There was no escape. Aiding them was the only way.

_Sovereign speaks to me, but does not control me,_ he was reassured. _I am still in control. This is the best way. The only way. We will be the chosen for their ascension._

No one was around to explain to him just how wrong he was.

* * *

The four-legged crab-like creature chirped in satisfaction. Finally, he had managed to dig up one of the elusive filter-feeders that resided within the soft sand. But as he cracked open the critter's shell, he felt a sudden heat behind him. He turned, and the last thing he saw was his world evaporating and a wall of fire barreling straight towards him…


	8. Slightly Awkward

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 8~

The crew, plus Kirrahe, gathered in the communications room for a debriefing.

Shepard, having just been released from the med-bay (with a stern notice from Chakwas going something like "Medigel doesn't fix you, it just kills the pain and stops your organs from falling out until you can reach a doctor"), went first. "The mission went as well as we could have hoped. We sustained minimal casualties, the enemy stronghold is destroyed, and we've acquired a wealth of intelligence." He took a deep breath before continuing. "While the mission was underway, Matriarch Benezia transcribed the Mu Relay's positional data. At approximately oh-five-hundred, mission time, she lost consciousness and entered a state of cascading cell atrophy. Lady Benezia passed away at oh-seven-hundred today, ship-board time."

Liara, seated to Shepard's left, put her head in her hands, but there were no tears. There was no time for grief now.

Shepard continued. "The start of her cascading cell necrosis, usually occurring at the end of an asari lifetime, coincided with when the hologram of Sovereign appeared in Saren's personal laboratory." His voice went quiet. "The two events happened… too close together to be a coincidence."

Liara's voice was a whisper. "We killed her," she realized. "She told us to take her away, and we didn't listen. Instead, we brought her here. Brought her right back to Saren… to Sovereign… She died trying to keep them out of her mind."

Shepard sighed sadly. "There is nothing we can do about it now. Kirrahe, your team managed to extract data from the labs in the rear of the facility?"

Kirrahe nodded. "Preliminary overview of the data we extracted is… troubling. It appears that the krogan breeding facilities were only one aspect of the base's research. The other was something that Saren referred to in his files as 'indoctrination.' We came across several of our reconnaissance units that we had lost contact with. All of them became hostile toward us. That's how we ended up losing two men. We were fired on unsuspectingly. It's extremely likely that the indoctrination signal was being tested on them."

"Saren's weird mind control? Now why would he need to research that…?" Garrus wondered.

"It's entirely possible that even Saren himself doesn't understand it," replied Kirrahe. "The reports indicate that every person on the base was under observation. Even the top scientists. He was keeping tabs on all of them."

"Why? What does this mean?" asked Tali.

"If I were to guess," continued Kirrahe, "he was worried that it might be affecting _him_."

"Saren's not the one with the mind control abilities," Shepard realized. "It's _Sovereign_. And Saren's in deeper than anyone else!"

Kirrahe nodded. "Saren's notes say he came to the conclusion that the more control Sovereign exerted, the less capable the subject became. But," he paused for a breath, "we sent the data to STG analysts on Sur'kesh. They found no statistically significant trends. Everyone in that facility had been affected by the control. And very few of them were rambling, insane madmen."

He stopped to let that sink in.

"What you're saying," Wrex growled, "is that _anyone_ could be indoctrinated? And we'd have _no way of knowing_?"

"That is correct," Kirrahe affirmed.

The team was silent for a few moments, pondering this new revelation.

Shepard spoke up. "There's one last thing. I came across another Prothean beacon in Saren's private lab. It might have filled in the information that was missing from the one on Eden Prime. Liara?"

Liara nodded and stood. "Very well. I will join our minds and see what I can find out." She reached out and took Shepard's hand. "Relax, Commander. Embrace eternity." Her eyes flashed to black…

* * *

_Death._

_Bodies. Flesh, twined with steel. Twisted, mutated, horrifying._

_Monstrous. Terrifying. Massive. Machine._

_Laws. Weapons._

_Failure._

_Fire. Houses. Cities. Worlds burn._

_People burn._

_All is lost._

_Retaliation._

_The Conduit._

_Hope._

_Sleep._

_Ilos._

_Return._

* * *

Liara gasped, staggering backwards as her eyes faded back to their normal color. "Ilos!" she hissed. "The Conduit is on Ilos!"

"Ilos?" asked Shepard. "Slow down. What did the vision say?"

"It's a distress call," Liara explained. "A warning, sent out across the Prothean Empire, about the Reapers. But the warning came too late."

She took a breath. "They mentioned… some sort of contingency plan. A device, being built on Ilos. A device that would allow them to strike back against the Reapers. How, I do not know. But they called it the Conduit. And the only way to reach Ilos is through the Mu Relay."

Ashley frowned. "Saren's trying to bring back the Reapers. Why would he be after a Prothean device designed to attack them?"

Shepard shrugged. "If it can hurt a Reaper, Saren can probably find all manner of ways to use it against us. Joker, get us to the Citadel. We'll need a fleet to assault Ilos. There's no way the Council can ignore us now."

* * *

"_The news is quite alarming – if it turns out to be accurate."_

"_They're real. Saren even admitted it!"_

"_He's playing you, Shepard."_

"_Our own intelligence has never turned up any corroborating information."_

"_Patrols are stationed on every relay linking to the Citadel."_

"_You think a blockade is going to stop him? He's on Ilos right now!"_

"_Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over."_

"_Secrecy isn't his greatest weapon. The Conduit is!"_

"_The Conduit is just a distraction."_

"_Sovereign is the real threat!"_

"_The Reapers only exist in your visions."_

"_You're becoming more trouble than you're worth."_

"_We've locked out the Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you're grounded." _

"_This no longer concerns you._

"_I tried to warn you about Saren. Look how that turned out."_

"_I believe there is a saying: even a broken clock is right twice a day."_

"_Here's another one: Go to hell!"_

"I can't believe they ignored us!" Shepard grumbled, slumping by his locker.

Liara walked up to the locker next to his, leaning her shoulder on it. She sighed. "The council owes you everything. Everything! But instead, they strip you of your command and ground the Normandy.

Shepard gazed into the floor. "I showed them the truth. But they just refuse to believe."

Liara watched him carefully. "So you're just going to walk away? Give up, and doom the entire galaxy to extinction?"

Their eyes met, and Shepard slowly stood.

"I have a cargo hold full of rocket launchers. And I've got you. My crew. We'll figure something out."

Liara smiled slightly. "I believe in you, Shepard. I am with you every step of the way."

Suddenly, a cheesy tune began to play over the intercom. Shepard groaned. "What the heck? Joker?"

The music cut out abruptly, and was replaced by Joker's voice. "Sorry to interrupt, Commander. Got a message from Captain Anderson. Says he wants to meet with you over in Flux."

Liara leaned back and crossed her arms, in a stance very reminiscent of one that Shepard used often. "Are you spying on us, Joker?"

"Who, me? Spying? I would never! How could you even _think_ such a thing?" They heard him burst into laughter before the intercom cut out.

Shepard sighed. "Just so we're clear. We're not, uh, in a relationship, are we?"

Liara blushed slightly. "No. We are not."

Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. Good. Just making sure."

Their walk to the airlock was slightly awkward.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry if that was a bit odd. To be clear, Rocket!Shep will not be pursuing romance with any of his squad members. On-screen, at least. There may be a bit of tension though. It's funny watching him squirm. Erm. Forget I said anything.

**Acheivement Unlocked**: Lose no squadmates on Virmire.


	9. Chekhov's Gun Hurts

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 9~

"_Anderson?"_

"_Shepard. Glad you could make it."_

"_I know you're pissed off right now, but you can't give up. You have to stop Saren. Stop him from getting to the Conduit."_

"_Can't. There's only one ship that can get me to Ilos undetected, and she's grounded."_

"_If I break into the Ambassador's office I can override his orders, and get the Normandy out of lockdown. You'll have to be ready."_

"_We will be."_

Shepard stood over Joker's shoulder, tapping his foot in worry. Suddenly, a light on the bridge flicked from orange to green. Joker turned to him, eyebrow raised. They were free.

"Let's go. Get us out of here, Joker. Now."

Joker grinned and glided the Normandy out of dock.

* * *

"Stealth systems are engaged," Joker reported. "Unless we get close enough for a visual, they won't have any idea we're here."

Shepard nodded. "Good. Saren's had a solid head start, but that means he's done a lot of the work for us. But it's a big planet. Can we find him, Pressly?"

Pressly, by the sensor terminal on the left of the bridge, snorted. "This isn't the S _**R**_-1 for nothing, Commander. We should have a fix on his location… now! Got it! The largest concentration of geth signatures is here, in these ruins near the equator." The area he indicated was displayed on the console before him.

"Damn," cursed Kaidan, who was sitting in the chair to Joker's right. He examined the area. "Closest landing zone is two clicks away."

Ashley, standing behind him, crossed her arms. "We'll never make it across uncharted terrain on foot. Get us something closer!"

"There is nowhere closer!" insisted Kaidan. "I've looked!"

Garrus, who had moved up to the cockpit along with Liara to keep track of the situation, frowned. "What about a Mako drop?"

"You need at least a hundred meters of open terrain to pull off a drop," said Pressly. "The most I can find near Saren is twenty."

"Twenty meters?" exclaimed Ashley. "No way we can make a drop in there."

"We have to try," insisted Liara.

Ashley was adamant. "Find another drop zone!"

"There is no other drop zone!" Pressly hurled back.

Tali, who had snuck up on the group, muttered just loud enough to be heard. "The descent angle's too steep."

Liara turned on her. "It's our only option!"

Ashley still didn't budge. "It's not an option, it's a suicide run! We don't-"

She was suddenly cut off by Joker. "I can do it."

Shepard looked down at his faithful pilot. "Joker?"

Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau stared straight ahead into the controls of his craft and spoke calmly to the rest of the cockpit's occupants. "I can do it."

"Alright," said Shepard. "Tali and Garrus, gear up and head down to the Mako. Joker, drop us right on top of that bastard. Liara, stay on the bridge. We might need your Prothean expertise to navigate the ruins."

"Understood," Liara replied.

The Spectre stalked off to the cargo bay, quarian and turian fast on his heels.

* * *

Saren strode through the ruins of Ilos. After what had seemed like weeks of searching, his geth had found what he was looking for. The Conduit.

He followed a large entourage of them to the location, stepping over shattered concrete and rusted steel. Odd, knotted plant life, red and yellow, grew from the toppled structures around him. As he passed through an ancient blast door, he heard an odd whistling noise. The whistling noise grew louder, and lower pitched. He turned to look at the source…

And saw, to his immense shock and surprise, a certain human vessel and an armored vehicle dropping from the sky, straight towards him.

He quickly turned to his geth, gesturing wildly. The ancient blast doors, which the geth'd had weeks to figure out how to operate, began to close…

He turned and continued down the tunnel, his geth trailing after him. Behind him he heard the doors click shut, and a slight thump as the vehicle slammed into the ground. Immediately after, a sound like a thunderclap went off. Saren smiled in satisfaction, knowing that the vehicle's main weapon could not penetrate the millennia-old doorway.

* * *

Garrus slammed a fist into the Mako's controls. His mandibles twitched in irritation. "Son of a b****! I could _smell_ the smug look on his face! We were so close!"

"It's not over yet, Garrus," said Shepard calmly. He put his hand to his ear. "Joker? Do you read?"

"Loud and clear, Commander."

"Put T'Soni on the line."

Liara's voice came quickly. "I'm here, Shepard. What do you see?"

Shepard scratched his head, looking out through the viewport. "We've dropped into the ruins. We've got some kind of blast door here. Mako's cannon can't bust through it. Know a way we could get it open?"

"A… a blast door?" Liara paused thoughtfully. "Most likely, the only way to open it is from the inside. If you are in the ruins of a large complex, there may be a way to override it from a console elsewhere in the area, but it could take days, weeks even, to find a switch like that in ruins of this size."

"Days?" chirped Tali. "We don't have that time. We have to get inside this bunker before Saren finds the Conduit!"

"Alright," Shepard muttered. "Plan B then. Garrus, what's the status on the rocket turrets?"

"They're operational," replied the turian. "But if the cannon can't get through the door, I doubt that rockets will."

Shepard grinned. "We're not going to shoot it with rockets. Not directly. Tali, can you hack into the missile systems' ammunition fabricators and gain root access?"

Tali rolled her eyes. "Shepard, I can isolate a Geth Destroyer from its consensus and make it go berserk from forty meters away. I can shred your shoddy Alliance firewalls like toilet paper."

Shepard opened up the Mako's hatch and climbed out. "Do it. We're going to lock the launchers into fabrication mode. Once we've depleted the majority of our power cells, we'll retreat to a safe distance and blow all the ammunition at once."

Tali leapt out and clambered onto the Mako's roof, running her omni-tool over the rocket launchers. Garrus was right behind her. His mandibles widened slightly, and he chuckled. "Classic Shepard Plan B. I like it."

* * *

Saren descended the slope, gazing up at the structure before him. The soft curves of the tuning-fork like design beckoned to him, pulling him forwards. He nodded to the geth Prime beside the Conduit, who clicked in response and keyed Sovereign's activation sequence into the console before it. The concentric rings between the structure's two prongs began two rotate slowly, and a blue glow began to build in their center.

Suddenly, there was a massive _crack, _and he felt his eardrums shudder. An explosion? Saren growled, twitching his mandibles slightly. He didn't think the humans had the firepower in that vehicle of theirs to breach the blast doors.

However, the geth unit beside him rapidly informed him that he had been wrong. Their pursuers were through the doors, and making their way rapidly toward them.

Saren clambered into the geth transport that had been prepared for him, and prepared to activate the Conduit. It didn't matter. In just a moment, he would be through. Their victory would be assured. And there stood a literal army of geth between him and them. There was no way they could get through.

* * *

The Mako's engine purred as they rushed down the bunker roadway. There was nothing much to do but hold down the pedal and look around. "What are those things in the walls? Some kind of containers?" wondered Garrus.

It was a valid question. Odd, ovular pods were embedded along the walls of the bunker. "They look like… _stasis pods_," said Tali. "This must have been one of the last refuges of the Protheans. Perhaps they thought they could keep themselves alive through cryogenic freezing."

"We can ask Liara about it later," said Shepard. "But now we've got a slight problem…"

Before them, a massive energy field had materialized, cutting off the passageway. It spanned the entire roadway and stretched from floor to ceiling. Shepard slammed the brakes.

"Damn," cursed Garrus. "We've got to find another way around."

But as Shepard wheeled the Mako around, a second energy barrier flared into existence behind them, trapping them between two shimmering walls of energy. In desperation, Shepard fired the main gun into one of the barriers. It had no effect whatsoever.

"We're trapped," Garrus grumbled. "Saren must have set an ambush!"

The three tensed and prepared for an onslaught of geth troopers. But none came.

To their right, a small passageway, too narrow for the Mako, beckoned to them.

"I don't think Saren is behind this…" said Tali uncertainly.

Shepard cracked open the Mako's hatch. "Come on," he called. "Let's see if we can find a way around on foot."

The three disembarked and strode down the only corridor they could.

* * *

The Citadel Presidium. A picture of calm, peace, and serenity. Water gushed freely from the many fountains. Citizens strolled across the walkways, taking in the atmosphere. The trees, transplanted from many worlds, living in harmony.

On one end of the Presidium lake stood an ancient statue depicting a Mass Relay. Many claimed the intricate piece of art could be as old as the Citadel itself. A model. A relic. As several tourists gazed at it in wonder, they noticed something odd. The rings in its center had begun to _move_.

* * *

The corridor ended. "Aw, crap," muttered Garrus. "What are we supposed to do now?"

Shepard sighed. "Okay. Tali, how many power cells do we have left?"

Tali checked her omni-tool. "Um, let me see. We've got enough juice left for fifteen more rockets. Want to try the same trick on the energy fields?"

"No harm in trying," Shepard pointed out. "I didn't plan on spending my retirement dying of hunger in a…"

His voice tapered off as the console at the end of the corridor lit up. A hologram suddenly appeared before them. It was heavily distorted, resembling a haphazard conglomerate of rings and electrical sparks. "_I am Vigil_," the hologram said. "_The avatar of our legacy. And you must listen, for there is not much time._"

"Well, this just got a lot more interesting," Shepard muttered.

* * *

A group of bystanders had accumulated, murmuring to themselves in confusion as they watched the statue spin. The C-Sec officers in the area tried to keep people back, but what could they do? Arrest people for trying to look at a statue?

The spinning rings continued to build up speed, and a faint blue glow began to appear in their center…

* * *

"_The taint of indoctrination has not been detected upon any of you. Thus, automated procedures have been put in place to direct you to this message_,_ and analysis programs have been activated to convert it to a form you can comprehend._"

"It's a recording," realized Tali. "The Protheans left behind a message, and systems designed to ensure that we could understand it. This is incredible technology!"

"_You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. But you must understand, or you will make the same mistakes that we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government. As it was with us, and as has been for every civilization that came before. But the Citadel is a trap. The station's primary function is that of an enormous mass relay. One that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel relay is opened, the Reapers will pour though. And all you know will be destroyed._"

* * *

Reports of the disturbance reached C-Sec headquarters. Several officers were dispatched to figure out what was going on. They formed a perimeter around the relic, but the civilians remained as close as they could, watching entranced as the slight glow grew into a solid sphere of pulsating blue…

* * *

"_The personnel of the Ilos facility cut off all contact with the outside and went into cryogenic sleep, hoping that the Reaper threat would come to pass. But the genocide of a species is a long, slow, process_.

"_Our power reserves were dwindling. So, life pods were shut down, one by one, to preserve power for only the most vital staff. When the Reapers had finally gone, only the top scientists remained. Too few to sustain a viable population. Rather than attempt to rebirth the Prothean race, they vowed to find some way to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle forever. And they knew the Keepers, the seemingly benign caretakers of the Citadel, were the key." _

"_When the Reapers attacked, the Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking mass relay technology. Here, in this facility, researchers had worked to create a miniature version of a mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel, the hub of the relay network._"

"The Conduit's not a weapon," hissed Garrus in realization, mandibles widening. "It's a back door to the Citadel!"

* * *

Suddenly, with a flash, some kind of object warped into existence next to the statue with a streak of light, slamming into the surface of the lake with a splash. It bobbed to the surface slowly. A C-Sec officer and his partner walked up to the railing, waving their arms to keep the bystanders back, peering carefully into the waters.

"What is that?" wondered the turian officer. His partner, a salarian, shrugged. "How would I know? Let's keep this area cordoned. We've got statues going insane, boxes appearing in midair, and who knows what else going on here. Call headquarters, tell them to bring in a-"

His words were cut off as plasma fire ripped through his uniform and into his body. Screams of panic arose, and the assembled crowd dispersed quickly. The turian officer gasped, turning from the mangled body of his partner to look at the object bobbing in the lake. It had unfolded somehow, and now gazed up at him with a single cold, brightly lit eye, a pulse rifle in its mechanical arms.

The last thing the officer saw before he died was dozens more of the machines – the _geth_ – appearing with crackles of power and flashes of evil blue.

* * *

The recording continued. "_After decades of research into the Keepers, they discovered that before every invasion, a signal is sent through the station into them that instructs them to activate the Citadel relay. And they discovered a way to alter the signal. They traveled through the Conduit, gained access to the Citadel, and made the modifications. This time, when the control signal came, the Keepers did not respond. The Reapers remain trapped in dark space._"

"_An indoctrinated passed through here not long ago. You must deny the indoctrinated access to the station. Once he has bypassed the Citadel's defenses, he may transfer control of the station to Sovereign. Sovereign can override the station's systems and manually open the relay. And the cycle of extinction will begin again._"

* * *

The Conduit flared, and the specially designed geth transport landed with a soft splash in the water beside the conduit. Saren opened the hatch and climbed up unto the walkway.

Around him were the sounds of gunfire and screams as his geth engaged C-Sec officers in combat and _pacified_ civilians. A crowd of geth stood guard around the Conduit's exit point itself, gazing at him impassively. He growled at them, gesturing towards the Citadel Tower. This violence was regrettable, but necessary.

_They are blind. They refuse to see what is coming. I will be the savior of us all._

He strode forwards into the elevator, the geth platoon fast on his heels.

* * *

"_To gain control of the station, the indoctrinated will need access to the station's master control unit. It is located at the top of the Citadel Tower. Contained within this console is a data file. When interfaced with the master control unit, it will corrupt security protocols and grant you control. It may give you a chance. The facility no longer contains the power reserves to run a personality matrix, hence once this recording is complete, this intelligence will be rendered nonfunctional. This is the voice of Vigil, avatar of our legacy. I wish you, the organics of the future, luck. And Godspeed._"

With that, the hologram fizzled into nothingness.

Shepard ran his omni-tool over the console Vigil had indicated, and then turned on his comrades. "We don't have much time. Let's move!"

The three sprinted back to the Mako. The energy fields had been lowered, allowing them to continue down the tunnel. They hastily clambered into their vehicle and slammed the hatch shut behind them.

"Come on," growled Shepard as he floored the accelerator. "Can't this tin can go any faster?"

* * *

The bridge of the HSV _Vesaria_ was rather quiet. Turian military doctrine demanded calm in battle, and they were rarely in battle. As a cruiser assigned to the Citadel Defense Fleet, their main job was to fly circles around the Citadel and stare at the other ships coming and going. Today, however, due to recent events involving the rouge Spectre Saren, they had been reassigned to patrol the Imir Relay in the Eagle Nebula. It was just one jump away from the Citadel, but enough of a change from their usual scenery for the personnel in the Combat Information Center to be happy.

The ship's commanding officer, a certain turian captain named Victus, stood in his spot in the CIC, gazing into the galaxy map. He'd never liked Saren, but he'd been a Spectre for a reason. His communications officer, standing at her console to his right, looked up at him. She was a bright young turian, bearing the colony marks of Parthia.

"There's more going on here than the Council's telling us," she said. "One of our most respected Spectres just goes off the rails? No explanation given? And he's working with the _geth_? It makes no sense. Sir."

"No disagreement from me, Lieutenant," Victus muttered. "None of this makes any-"

Suddenly, the communications console beeped urgently. "We've got a priority message coming in from the Citadel," his comms officer said. "It's…" Her mandibles widened in surprise. "It's a_ distress call_."

She let it play.

"This is Commodore Lidanya of the _Destiny Ascension_! The Citadel is under attack. I repeat, the Citadel is under attack! At least fifty geth ships just jumped in-system! The _Rehban_, _Kimpoli_, _Engiss_, and _Oclyea_ are lost! We've got reports of geth ground forces in the Presidium. The Council has been evacuated. All available out-of-system patrols, pull back to reinforce!"

"Spirits," growled Victus, stepping down from his platform and stalking to the front of the ship. "Helm! Get us through the relay. Now!"

"I hear you," his helmsman's voice replied over his shoulder.

_Vesaria_ accelerated towards the relay.

"Relay is in range. Initiating transit sequence. Calculating transit mass and destination."

Victus tapped his foot impatiently, gazing out the bridge viewport at the pulsating superstructure. People were dying. They were needed.

"The relay is hot. Acquiring approach… um. Captain? We've got a problem." His helmsman's mandibles quivered.

As they watched, the Imir Relay's core, normally a vibrant blue, dimmed before their eyes. The rotating concentric rings slowed and then stopped. The _Vesaria _turned to run parallel to the superstructure, engines configured for a jump. But there was no energy pulse, no sudden snag that would launch the ship into the mass-less corridor linking to the Citadel. The relay, somehow, had been disabled.

"What the hell?" grumbled Victus. "What's going on here? Why isn't the relay activating?"

"I don't know, sir!" his helmsman replied. "I can't explain it! It's just not accepting my activation signals anymore."

Their communications console crackled again. "This is the _Seullye_. We've sustained critical damage! Requesting –" the message cut off.

"There's just too many of them. We have to move to a more defensible position before– " That message cut off as well.

"Negative! All ships, defend the station! Don't let the enemy ships inside the –"

"Hull breaches on multiple decks! We're venting too much atmosphere! We have to– "

"This is the _Enthor_! We've taken direct hits to engineering! Drive core is in danger of going critical! Request permission to –"

"Stay in formation! Shield each other with your GARDIAN systems, maintain trajec–"

"Our GARDIANs are useless! There's too much incoming fire, they'll just-"

"Mayday, _MAYDAY_! This is the _Destiny Ascension_. Kinetic barriers down to forty percent. Requesting assistance, from anyone who can hear this! The Council is on board, I repeat, the Council is _on board_!"

Victus, and the rest of his crew, could only listen in horror as distress call after distress call came in through their communications link.


	10. Into the Fire

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 10~

Author's Note: The whole ME1 Saren fight didn't make much sense to me. He was a Spectre, he should understand cover, not just be dancing around on a floaty platform. And his whole skeleton being an uber-rocket spitting death machine didn't make much sense either. So things will be a bit different…

* * *

:/CONSENSUS UPLINK:/...Loading...Loading...Established.

:/OVERWRITING ENCRYPTION PROTOCOLS:/...Completed.

KEY:/13756814a7421489

:/ESTIMATING LIGHT LAG:/...processing...Completed.

:/DONWLOADING STATUS REPORTS:/...

:/Progress: 39%...

:/KEY_EVENT:/RELAY NETWORK:/STATUS:/DISABLED

:/Progress: 61%...

:/Progress:73%...

:/Progress:73%...

:/ERROR:/ID:1940_N175

:/STATUS:/FAILURE:/Inconsistency Detected.

:/Attempting to correct...

:/STATUS:/FAILURE:/Could not correct.

:/CRITICAL SYSTEM FAILURE:/VARIANCE_BEYOND_ACCEPTABLE_PARAMETERS

:/WARNING:/UNKNOWN_CORRECTION_SUCCESS_CONDITION

:/MANUAL OVERRIDE:/TIMELINE_CORRECTION_IN_PROGRESS...

:/USER_ID:/ASCENDED_NAZARA

:/GENERAL_CONSENSUS_COMMAND:/DOWNLINK:/Continue operations as planned.

:/WARNING:/Uplink Attempt Detected…Standby for access...

:/CONNECTING:/...Geth Handshake Protocol Recognized.

:/ACCESS GRANTED:/...uploading...uploading...Completed.

:/KEY_EVENT:/ID:114869:/COMBAT_REPORT:/

:/UNIT:/ID:149_D15:/STATUS:/ACTIVE

:/UNIT:/ID:150_D17:/STATUS:/ACTIVE

:/UNIT:/ID:151_D20:/STATUS:/ACTIVE

:/NO VARIANCES DETECTED FOR UNITS 149-191

:/UNIT:/ID:192_D27:/STATUS:/DISABLED

:/UNIT:/ID:193_D12:/STATUS:/DESTROYED

:/UNIT:/ID:194_D14:/STATUS:/DESTROYED

:/NO VARIANCES DETECTED FOR UNITS 193-206

:/PREDICTED_ENEMY_CASUALTIES:/

:/DREADNAUGHTS:/2...:/PROGRESS:/50.00%

:/CRUISERS:/26...:/PROGRESS:/57.69%

:/FRIGATES:/35...:/PROGRESS:/77.14%

:/FIGHTERS:/172...:/PROGRESS:/81.97%

:/PROBABILITY CALCULATED:/FAILURE_LIKELYHOOD_ABOVE_ACCEPTABLE_PA RAMETERS

:/MANUAL OVERRIDE:/DISPUTED_OBJECTIVE_OVERRIDE...Consensus Achieved.

:/USER_ID:/ASCENDED_NAZARA

:/GENERAL_CONSENSUS_COMMAND:/Reserve Forces to be held until further notice.

:/COMMAND:/...acknowledged.

:/UPLINK:/STATUS:/SEVERED...Connection Lost...

* * *

The Mako emerged from the tunnel.

"Joker? Get the Normandy back to the Citadel, ASAP! Don't worry about us, we'll be there! Go, go!"

Joker, sensing the urgency in his commander's voice, bit back a witty remark. "Aye aye. We're on our way." Their radio link cut off as the Normandy FTL-ed away.

Before them, a long, exposed trench stretched forth several hundred meters. At the end of it was their objective: The Conduit stood, core pulsating, prongs sizzling with blue energy. And between them and it, more than two dozen geth Colossi, Armatures, and rocket troopers stood guard.

"Please don't tell me we're just going to charge the Conduit and hope we don't die," Tali pleaded.

"Hey Tali," said Shepard. "Guess what?"

He didn't wait for a response, simply flooring the accelerator. Tali groaned and covered her faceplate with her hands, afraid to watch.

A geth plasma bolt slammed into the vehicle. "Barriers at 80 percent." noted Garrus.

From the left, a trio of rocket troopers unloaded into them, the vehicle rocking with the impacts of at least six direct hits. "Barriers at 20 percent!" warned Garrus again.

They were about halfway to the structure. A Colossus stood straight in their path. Tali peeked out from behind her hands. "Shepard? You've noticed we're going straight towards that Colossus, right?" asked Tali.

"Yeeaaaaaah…" replied Shepard, gritting his teeth.

The Mako barreled towards the Geth walker. But before the two met, the Colossus managed to unleash its plasma bolt. The Mako shuddered with the impact, an alarm going off inside the passenger compartment. "_Warning,_" the Mako's VI spat out. "_Barriers disabled. Retreat recommended_."

"Barriers are down," reported Garrus.

Then the front of the vehicle plowed into the Colossus. It screeched, its legs collapsing and head folding as the Mako continued forwards, knocking the walker off its legs and carrying it along. Shepard didn't flinch, continuing to hold down the accelerator. Eventually, the Colossus slid off the Mako's hood, and the Mako's tires rolled over it.

The Conduit stood before them, a mere hundred meters away, tantalizingly close. They sped towards it, as fast as they could.

But rockets were faster. And their barriers were down.

A second volley of rockets slammed into their unprotected vehicle from behind. Tali shrieked as a fire burst into existence behind her before turning and extinguishing it with an omni-tool cryo-blast. "Bosh-tet rocket geth," she grumbled.

Garrus looked into the damage readout worriedly. "They're through our armor! We take one more rocket, and we're done for!" The compartment alarm continued to blare. The vehicle's VI continued to complain. "_Warning. Barriers disabled. Hull integrity compromised. Immediate retreat and field repairs recommended._"

"We don't have time for repairs," said Shepard. "Hang on!"

They had arrived at the foot of the Conduit. A bolt of brilliant blue energy shot forth from its core, enveloping the Mako in light. Then, with a flash, the vehicle vanished, catapulted deep through a mass-less corridor into space…

* * *

The Normandy wheeled around, streaking past the ancient superstructure, engines positioned for a jump. And nothing happened. "The hell," grumbled Joker.

"Why aren't we jumping?" muttered Pressly in confusion.

Outside the viewport, the relay loomed, still, cold, and unresponsive.

* * *

Two geth patrols held position by the Conduit exit. Their flashlight heads scanned back and forth, making sure that no organics came anywhere near. Their auditory sensors could pick up the faint noises of gunfire, elsewhere in the Presidium. Suddenly, the Conduit's rings began to pick up speed…

The Mako appeared with a flash, slamming directly into them. It bounced once before flipping on its side, suspension collapsing due to a hull already severely damaged by weapons fire. It slid a good ten meters before screeching to a halt, drive system thoroughly wrecked, geth hydraulic fluid leaving a smear on the floor.

The vehicle's occupants poured out of the hatch, quite nauseated by their tumble. Tali retched. "I think I'm going to be sick. Do you have any idea how hard it is to clean barf out of this helmet?"

"I don't know," replied Shepard, climbing to his feet,"about as hard as it is to clean headlight fluid out of a vacuum cleaner?"

"What?" said Tali, puzzled. "Headlight fluid? Headlights don't need-"

Garrus interrupted her. "Oh. Spirits."

Shepard followed his gaze upwards.

Around them, the Presidium was in flames. Debris sat in piles along the normally pristine walkways, and the fires cast an eerie orange glow over the clean white walls.

And there were bodies.

Garrus rushed forwards, running his omni-tool over the limp form of a salarian. He shook his head sadly when he saw the scan's results.

"Dead," he spat, sub-harmonics humming with emotion. "I doubt the geth left _anyone_ alive here."

Tali pulled her pistol and fired a few rounds into the geth their vehicle had accidentally run down, making sure they were deactivated. Shepard grunted, prying a rocket launcher from its mount on the ruined Mako. "We can mourn them later. Let's get moving. We've got to stop Saren."

Garrus nodded, walking forwards and calling the elevator.

"Wait," Shepard said before he entered it. "I've got a better idea."

* * *

The Citadel's arms closed slowly. Too slowly. As the Citadel's defense fleet was slowly but surely torn to shreds by geth plasma fire, Sovereign slipped forwards, plowing through a turian cruiser, and between the station's arms. The arms sealed shut, and Sovereign proceeded forward unimpeded, latching onto the Citadel tower…

* * *

The elevator dinged. A pair of geth Destroyers raised their weapons, prepared to shred anything inside the car.

But as the door slid open, they saw nothing. They lowered their weapons and continued to stand guard…

And they were immediately blasted to bits by well-placed rockets, fired at them from a ceiling hatch. Shepard dropped from his improvised entrance, immediately rolling to cover. Tali and Garrus followed suit.

"I cannot believe," panted Tali, "that we just walked up the side of a skyscraper. Towards a giant monster ship."

"Upside down, too," added Garrus. "Thank the Spirits for mag-boots. Did I ever tell you how turians feel about heights?"

Shepard rolled his eyes. "Sovereign is already here. We don't have much time. Let's go." He dashed out of cover, up the stairs, firing his assault rifle.

His friends rushed to follow him, overloading geth shields and weapons as they went.

* * *

At the very pinnacle of the tower, Saren stood. The master control unit flickered to life before him. His journey was over. Sovereign would be pleased. He would be allowed to ascend…

The sound of explosions from behind him interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see a certain human soldier who had become quite a nuisance for him, rushing madly up the stairs towards him. Saren quickly moved forwards, into cover. Shepard, catching sight of him, slid to the right behind a sturdy pillar. His squad was right behind him.

"Shepard," spat Saren. "The thorn that has been in my side since Eden Prime. Tell me, what do you hope to accomplish by this meaningless violence?"

"I could say the same to you!" retorted Shepard from behind his cover. "You're the one who brought a geth army to the Citadel!"

"You think you can stop this?" growled Saren angrily, peeking out from his own cover. "That you can subvert our destiny? We _will_ ascend. You cannot run from fate itself, Shepard!"

"Destiny!?" shouted Shepard. "Listen to yourself! Sovereign's manipulating you! Can't you see that?"

Saren faltered slightly, but stayed behind his cover. "I… The Virmire research base had… interesting results. But you _destroyed_ that yourself, Shepard. When Sovereign sensed I was having doubts, he… upgraded me."

Shepard did a double take. "You let Sovereign implant you?! Are you insane!?"

Saren stood from his cover, allowing Shepard to see him clearly. Garrus pulled out his rifle, but Shepard held up a hand to stop him from taking a shot. "Look at me, Shepard," Saren hissed. "Do you see?"

Garrus's mandibles twitched. Saren's body was... no longer turian. A bizarre array of synthetic parts protruded from him. Tubes extended into his flesh. Limbs were entirely converted to a dull grey metal. Faint blue lights glowed from underneath his skin…

"I am an image of perfection," Saren said. "A perfect synthesis of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. I am the vision of our future, Shepard!"

Shepard shook his head. "Sovereign's controlling you through your implants! You were a Spectre, Saren. One of the best, even. Use the judgment that got you there and look at yourself now!"

"You think I want our civilization destroyed?" spat Saren back. "That I am a madman, insane, wanting only death and our cities in flames?"

He took a step forwards.

"No," he panted. "I… I am the only sane one left! By doing this, I win their favor. And they will allow us to serve. My way is the only way _any_ of us will survive!"

"Not the only way," said Shepard, standing out of his own cover to face Saren. "We can still stop them. Stand aside and we can keep them back."

Saren shook his head. "It doesn't work like that," he muttered. "They don't need the Citadel relay to reach us. It may take them a few months, perhaps even a year or two, but their power is beyond our understanding. Distance is no issue to them. They _will_ come to us."

"And together, we can use that time to find a way to defeat them!" shouted Shepard. "Don't be blind, Saren! There is a way!"

"I no longer believe that, Shepard," said Saren sadly. He raised his pistol.

Shepard dove back into cover, Saren's gunfire tearing through the space in which he had stood.

"Well, that didn't work," he grumbled.

"What did I tell you," Tali said to him, prepping her shotgun.

Suddenly, something landed at their feet. It was a familiar disk-shaped object, flashing with a subtle red light. The light blinked faster, and faster…

"Oh crap," muttered Garrus.

The three of them scattered, the grenade detonating between them. Shepard, diving back unto the central stairs to avoid the explosion, fired at Saren with his assault rifle as he dashed for cover on the other side of the room.

Saren quickly crouched back into his own cover. "You're good, Shepard," he admitted. "But I'm better. I've been doing this since you humans managed to crawl out of your home system. You might as well surrender now. Perhaps Sovereign will allow you to-"

A rocket suddenly slammed into his side, putting down his shields and sending him staggering. He coughed, triggering his shield boosters and firing in the direction of his attacker as he retreated to more suitable cover.

"I'm better than you in one way, Saren," he heard Shepard shout. "I don't stand around delivering monologues in the middle of a firefight!"

Saren growled and unfolded his geth pulse rifle. Playtime was over.

* * *

Admiral Hackett stood on the bridge of the _Kilimanjaro_, gazing out of the viewport. The Arcturus Prime relay sat, dark and unmoving.

A messenger ran up to him. "Sir," the young ensign said, breathlessly. "The Citadel's gone to shit. Distress calls are coming in faster than we can track them."

Hackett turned. He'd known the geth would be trouble. He'd even petitioned the Council to give the Alliance permission to station ships to help reinforce the Citadel. But he'd been ignored, and now the Alliance Fifth Fleet sat by Arcturus Station as the thinly-stretched Citadel Fleet was torn to shreds.

"What's the status of the _Normandy_?"

The ensign tapped into his omni-tool, and then shook his head. "No updates, sir. They're still missing."

He took a breath. "Sir… The situation there may not be salvageable. With the relays disabled, there's no way we'll reach them in time with just FTL drives. We may need to prepare for the possibility that the Citadel will be lost to the geth, and position the Fifth Fleet to secure our own-"

Hackett folded his arms behind his back. "Negative. We are not abandoning the Citadel. Fifth Fleet will stay in position, waiting for the relay to come back online. _Normandy_'s still out there."

His subordinate took a breath, looking into his omni-tool. "Sir, the brass may disagree."

"Then they can go to hell," grumbled Hackett. "I've got faith in Shepard. And so does Anderson. The Citadel will _not_ be lost."

"Understood sir," the ensign said before rushing off.

* * *

Shepard gestured forwards, and Tali and Garrus, on the other side of the room, leapt over their cover and moved up.

Saren, hearing their footsteps, peeked from his cover and flung a biotic projectile at the two of them. Tali managed to dive to the side to avoid it, but Garrus, in his heavier armor, was caught in the field. It threw him ten meters backwards, slamming him into the wall and disabling his shields.

"Garrus!" shouted Tali, looking over at the armored form of her turian friend. He grunted, staggering forwards slowly into the open. Saren turned from his cover, pulse rifle aimed carefully. He managed to unleash several rounds into the other turian before Tali sabotaged his weapon from afar.

Saren cursed, swapping out his pulse rifle for his pistol once more.

"Garrus?" Tali rushed over to her friend, helping him to drag himself back into cover. "Are you hit?"

"Yeah, a bit," grunted the turian. "Armor saved me, though. Just a little bruised."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Shepard had continued to circle around, rocket launcher held at the ready, waiting for an opportunity. Saren had him on lockdown now though, constant pistol fire keeping him pinned down.

"Guys?" Shepard said into his radio. "A little help here?"

Garrus lifted his sniper rifle. He took a breath and held it…

Tali raised her omni-tool and deployed a tech overload projectile. It detonated directly on Saren, decreasing his shield strength by about half.

Garrus pulled the trigger. With a crack, his rifle spat out its supersonic projectile directly into the shields protecting Saren's head. The force of the impact made the other turian stagger. With a tell-tale flicker, Saren's shields went out.

That was all Shepard needed. He leapt from cover and fired a volley of three rockets at the rogue Spectre.

In a last ditch attempt at survival, Saren called upon his biotics to create an emergency barrier. The first rocket slammed into it, the explosive force making Saren slide back. The second detonated on it as well, completely obliterating it. The third hit Saren square in the chest, sending him flying backwards, crashing through a section of glass floor down into the garden area below.

Shepard dashed forwards to the master control console. He raised his omni-tool, transferring the Ilos data file into the system. Almost immediately, system diagnostics popped up on his omni-tool display. He had control.

"Vigil's data file worked!" he said excitedly. "I've got control of all systems." He then frowned at the readouts. "The relay network has been… _disabled_? I had no idea the Citadel had the power to do that."

Garrus walked up to join him, Tali at his heels. He walked with a slight limp, wincing with every step he took on his bruised leg. "Quick," he advised. "Open the station's arms. Maybe the fleet can take down Sovereign before it's too late."

Suddenly, a light on the master control unit's display flashed. Shepard ran his omni-tool over it, linking into the data stream. Communications suddenly flooded in.

"_This is Executor Pallin. Somebody give me a status report!"_

"_Sir, the Presidium is lost. All officers have pulled back into the wards. We'll try to hold them off in the access corridors."_

"_And the defense fleet? What's their status?"_

"… _Listen for yourself."_

"_This is the _Ina'inga_. Us, _Rabano_, _Aldock, Keless, Rorehy, Ardash, Ceryer, Kinona_, and the _Ascension_ are all that's left! The geth fleet's got us pinned next to the Citadel. If we stay here, we're dead, but if we try to move, we're even deader!"_

"_What!? The defense fleet consisted of dozens of ships, even after the patrols were increased. You're all that's left?"_

"_Affirmative. The _Ascension_ is taking too much fire! If we don't get reinforcements soon, the Council's going to bite it right here."_

"Damn," muttered Garrus. "I didn't realize it was this bad."

"We've got to reactivate the relay network," said Tali. "Let reinforcements arrive."

"Working on it," Shepard replied, tapping furiously at his omni-tool.

The communications link picked up a new voice. "_This is Admiral Hackett of the Alliance Fifth Fleet. Does anyone hear this? We are standing by in Arcturus to provide assistance, but the relays have been disabled."_

"Got it!" crowed Shepard. "Relays should be coming online." He turned to the communications link on the master control unit to respond to the latest signal. "Admiral? This is Commander Shepard. I'm in the Citadel Tower. We've managed to activate the relays. The Reaper, Sovereign, is latched onto the tower. Once the Council is safe, you have to destroy it. At all costs, Admiral. The galaxy is at stake here."

"_Shepard? How the hell… Never mind. Understood. Fifth Fleet is incoming."_

* * *

The Widow relay's rings spun up, the blue glow in its center rapidly returning. With a cascade of flashes, dozens of distinctive four-engine Alliance ships jumped into the system, behind the geth fleet.

"_Alliance ships, move in_," Hackett ordered. "_Protect the Council. Draw fire away from the _Destiny Ascension."

They unloaded. Spinal cannons spat out heavy slugs at C-fractional velocities, smashing through geth shields and hulls.

But the battle was far from one-sided. Geth ships wheeled around to face the new threat. Plasma projectiles easily tore through Alliance barriers, scuttling three cruisers and ten fighters in a matter of seconds. Geth torpedo fire was fierce as well. GARDIAN systems defended against dozens of them, but the geth barrage consisted of hundreds. Fighters sacrificed themselves, blocking torpedoes with their own craft to prevent them from reaching the larger ones. But some still got through. Frigates and cruisers disintegrated in balls of fire.

The Alliance ships retaliated in kind. Disruptor torpedoes were launched in waves, detonating entire geth cruisers in impressive displays of firepower.

"_We're picking up reinforcements!"_

"_It's the Alliance! Thank the Goddess."_

The few remaining Citadel Defense Fleet ships, reinvigorated, joined in with mass accelerator and missile fire of their own. Geth cruisers dropped faster than flies in a pizza oven. The battle, it seemed was won. The Citadel's arms began to open, and Alliance ships began to fire on the last remaining threat, Sovereign…

* * *

:/WARNING:/Uplink Attempt Detected...Standby for access...

:/CONNECTING:/...Geth Handshake Protocol Recognized.

:/ACCESS GRANTED:/…uploading…Completed.

:/KEY_EVENT:/ID:114870:/COMBAT_REPORT:/

:/UNIT:/ID:149_D15:/STATUS:/DESTROYED

:/UNIT:/ID:150_D17:/STATUS:/DESTROYED

:/UNIT:/ID:151_D20:/STATUS:/DESTROYED

:/NO VARIANCES DETECTED FOR UNITS 149-206

:/WARNING:/STATUS:/FAILURE:/Inconsistency Detected…

:/MANUAL OVERRIDE:/Reserve Forces Deployed…

:/USER_ID:/ASCENDED_NAZARA

:/REASON:/DISCREPANCY_REPAIR

:/GENERAL_CONCENSUS_COMMAND:/DOWNLINK:/Deploy Reserves….

:/COMMAND:/…acknowledged.

:/UPLINK:/STATUS:/SEVERED...Connection Lost.


	11. Glory Blazes

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 11~

Author's Note: Remember when I said things would be a bit different last chapter? Well. Remove the word 'bit' from there. Maybe even add 'very.'

* * *

Sovereign worked feverishly. The Protheans, the vile parasites that they were, had defiled the Citadel's programming with their own. _A blemish upon its perfection._ Sovereign swatted aside Prothean firewalls and AI countermeasures like they were gnats. _They dared believe they could challenge the Ascended? _

But as he worked his way into the Citadel's core programming, he felt a slight disturbance of his physical form. Then another. And then another. His matrix lit up with displeasure as miniscule hammer-blows rained down on him.

The Alliance Fifth Fleet streamed in through the now open arms of the Citadel, pounding Sovereign with unrelenting firepower.

_Foolish organics. They believed they could fell a god?_

Then Sovereign realized with a start that his shields were dropping, ever so slightly. He roared in rage, activating his offensive systems. This was Shepard's fault. It had to be. The discontinuity, the imperfection, the inconsistency in the timeline, they were entirely his fault. As his magneto-hydrodynamic cannons charged up, he reached out with his mind, searching for the form of a certain slave of his…

* * *

Tali examined the flood of data displayed on the master control unit. "There's not much more we can do," she said. "We just have to hope that the fleets will have enough firepower to put Sovereign down."

Shepard nodded in agreement. He looked over the side of the platform, down into the area where Saren had fallen. He took a breath. Saren was _gone_. The area underneath the shattered glass was empty.

"Oh no," he murmured. "Stick together, people. Saren may still be alive. Watch yourselves."

Tali checked her shotgun. Garrus gave the room a preliminary scan with his visor and shook his head, finding nothing.

"He took a rocket to the chest," Tali pointed out. "In all likelihood, he's bleeding out right-"

Her sentence was abruptly cut off as _something_ leapt from the shadows, a talon slamming into her helmet hard enough to knock her into unconsciousness instantly, sending her shotgun flying out of her hands and skidding across the floor…

* * *

Alliance ships converged on Sovereign from all directions. The space around the _Kilimanjaro_ was lit up by a blitz of mass accelerator shots from the cruisers on its flank.

Hackett nodded in approval. "Good. Slowly but surely, we're taking that monster down. Watch your fire, we don't need any friendlies eating bulle-"

His messenger ensign interrupted him. "Sir," he said worriedly. "The Widow relay's powering up again."

He turned to look at the combat information displays, and watched, horrified, as a _second_ geth fleet appeared directly behind them.

"Turn us around," ordered Hackett. "Fifth Fleet, concentrate on the geth. Sovereign hasn't actually fired on us yet, we can deal with him after-"

A small spot on Sovereign where the machine's tentacles met its body began to glow a fierce red. Suddenly, the red shot forth in a solid stream, ripping through the Cairo's shields like they weren't even there and tearing the cruiser in half.

"Son of a-," grumbled Hackett, realizing the fleet was now trapped between two highly dangerous enemy forces.

* * *

Tali slumped against what was evidently Saren.

Shepard and Garrus wheeled about, guns trained on him. He growled, tossing Tali's limp form aside. Then he spoke.

"**I am Sovereign**," he said, in a deep voice that was not his own. "**And this station is MINE.**"

His eyes flashed an eerie orange, and he began to walk towards them.

They fired on him. Shepard triggered 'overkill,' using his omni-tool to funnel heat away from his assault rifle. He held down the trigger. Garrus pumped round after round from his sniper weapon into the rogue Spectre's form.

But he didn't fall. He didn't even falter. Saren, or whoever was in control of his body now, continued to walk towards them, even as bullet after bullet punched holes into his vital organs. A trail of sickly blue blood was left behind as he walked, the liquid drizzling from the holes in his chest that were becoming more numerous by the second, exposing more and more of the cybernetics within…

* * *

_The world was sideways. Why is the world sideways? It's not supposed to be like that. The floor is supposed to go on the bottom…_

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya realized that the side of her head was resting on the floor. _Oh. The world isn't sideways. I'm sideways. Why am I sideways?_

_The lights. They're too bright. Bright is bad. Dark is good. Calm. Who builds a place with lights this bright, anyways? And so much space. Back on the flotilla, people sometimes have to sleep standing up. It'd be so nice to just lie here and sleep… _

She noticed that one of the lights, red and flashing, was in her own helmet. She focused on it carefully. "Warning, suit puncture," she read drearily. "Oh, that's not good… is it?"

* * *

Saren reached them. Shepard shifted his grip on his rifle and swung its butt at the approaching figure. Saren simply raised his left arm to meet it. The rifle and his hand collided with a metallic clang. His hand slowly closed around the rifle, and with a horrid grinding noise the weapon was crushed. Saren's other arm shot forwards, grabbing a stunned Shepard by the neck and hefting him upwards.

Garrus aimed carefully and put a round right between Saren's eyes. Blood and other matter splattered out the back of his head, but still Saren did not fall. The orange in his eyes glowed even brighter, and he turned on the turian, still grasping Shepard by the neck. His left hand dropped Shepard's ruined weapon and began to glow a biotic blue.

"Not again," groaned Garrus. The biotic field was even stronger than the one he had been hit with previously, sending him flying down the stairs. His helmeted head met a support column hard enough to dent it, and he collapsed to the floor in a limp heap.

* * *

Tali fought the urge to close her eyes and slowly rose to her feet. She gasped, seeing Shepard held aloft in Saren's hand. She reached around to her back for her shotgun, but found it missing. Think fast, she thought.

She brought up her omni-tool and worked her way into its advanced functions with practiced ease. She selected one that she had been working on in the past few days. A prototype that she never thought she would have to use.

Tali was still rather disorientated, but started to walk forwards at Saren and Shepard as her omni-tool started up the prototype function.

_Warning: Program is in testing stages. May result in severe burns to user while in current state. Do you wish to continue? Y/N_

Tali tapped _Y_, and then held up her omni-tool in front of her.

_Omniblade_v0_1 activated_

* * *

"Sir! We've lost the _Emden, Madrid,_ and _Nairobi_ to geth torpedoes. _Hong Kong_ and _Jakarta_ have taken direct hits from Sovereign and are not responding."

Hackett gritted his teeth. He remembered Shepard's warning_. At all costs, Admiral. The galaxy is at stake here._

He issued the order. "All ships. Disengage the geth. I don't care how much fire you're taking from them. Focus on Sovereign. Bring that thing down, no matter the cost."

"Incoming!" shouted an officer from across the Combat Information Center. "Brace! Brace!"

The _Kilimanjaro_ shook and lurched to the side as Sovereign's C-fractional stream of molten metal bored into it.

Hackett grasped the situational awareness console to steady himself, then gazed into it. Radio calls came in at an astonishing rate, and the tiny blue icons representing Alliance ships were disappearing just as quickly…

* * *

Saren's form turned his eyes to the struggling human in his grasp. "**Shepard,**" it said. "**You have become a nuisance. Your actions have caused disturbances that you cannot hope to comprehend. You must be terminated.**"

"You know," Shepard managed to cough. "You super-villains really have to learn something. Delivering monologues in combat is NOT a good idea."

With that, Tali pounced, her arm lit up by a blaze of superheated silicon-carbide suspended before it. In a single stroke, she brought the blade down, slicing Saren's right arm clean off. The stump leaked blood and coughed sparks alike in a bizarre fusion of machine and flesh. Saren took a step backwards.

Shepard dropped to the floor and rolled away, drawing his pistol.

But Tali kept going. "My father," she stabbed Saren in the chest, "taught me self defense."

"He always thought," she withdrew her arm, and then stabbed again, lower, "that I would need it on my Pilgrimage." Evading her notice was the fact that her omni-tool was beeping with warnings and that the superheated material was starting to melt through her suit, searing her own arm.

"He told me," she practically spat, withdrawing the blade once more and slashing it across Saren's chest, "that the most important thing to have is a way to defend yourself, even when you are unarmed."

The blade found its way into Saren's chest again. "He was wrong. The most important thing I have right now," she continued, "is my friends. And you," _stab_, "will not," _stab_, "hurt them!"

With that, Tali staggered backwards, omni-tool fading. Saren's form stood there, massive gashes in his chest pouring blood all over the floor, watching her impassively. The Reaper cybernetics, now quite exposed and torn up by Tali's stabbing spree, glowed and spat out sparks disgustingly.

"**You have accomplished nothing**," Saren's form said. "**Your time is at an end. This body is nothing. Kill one and a thousand more replace it**."

"Then hurry up and die, you ugly son of a cuttlefish!" Shepard shouted, unfolding his rocket launcher and firing at him.

* * *

_Saren pounded on the walls of the room. His prison. The blackness of the walls was overwhelming._

_He was trapped within his own mind._

_The only things he could see were two squares of light, two windows into the room. Saren didn't really care about that though. What he cared about was the fact that he had just been shot. Blown up, in fact. And now, he was stuck here, barred from reality, a prisoner within his own body._

_Suddenly, the room began to shake. The blackness that was the walls softened, turning to something like cloth. It began to fold, to drift away. And it began to carry him with it, away from the two squares of light, the last trace left of reality._

_Saren growled in anger, reaching out and grabbing a handful of the black fabric. He would not allow himself to be carried away. This was his own body. He was in control._

_The blackness tugged forcefully, but Saren was strong. As the blackness tried and tried to pull away, Saren held fast. Forget humans. Forget Reapers. If he was going to be trapped here in his own mind forever, then whatever this entity was that had trapped him here would be trapped here too._

_The room continued to shake, the rumbling growing more violent by the second._

* * *

Sovereign encountered errors as he attempted to retreat from Saren's mind. What was happening? Why could he not pull away? His servant was resisting, somehow. Had the indoctrination not been complete?

A rocket slammed into Saren's body. Sovereign frantically tried to pull away, to retreat his consciousness back into his larger form, but some part of the body he was in still pulled back.

Another rocket impacted. An odd tingling sensation filled Sovereign's mind. Something he had never felt before. He realized suddenly what it was: fear. It was the last thing he registered before the body took another rocket, shattering its personality matrix sustainers and destroying Sovereign's consciousness forever.

* * *

Saren's body lay in a heap on the floor, the orange glow finally fading from its eyes.

Shepard quickly folded up the rocket launcher and ran to Tali's side. "You alright?"

"Um. Suit puncture, potentially lethal infection, and my arm's nearly burned off. Yeah. Doing greaaaaat." Tali promptly fainted.

Shepard sighed, raising his omni-tool to dispense medigel. "Garrus?" he called. "You okay?"

There was a slight pause, and then a familiar rumbling voice replied from down the stairs. "Wasn't I just telling you," Garrus groaned, "that turians do not like flying? And here I am, doing stunts that would make trapeze artists go green with envy. I think I actually _broke_ something this time."

* * *

"_Sovereign's too strong! We have to pull back!"_

"_We pull back now, and all we're doing is putting ourselves in a kill zone. We have to take Sovereign down!"_

"_That monster's shields are still at more than half strength! How are we going to-"_

"_Protect the _Kilimanjaro_! Its main gun should have the punch to finish the job!"_

Beside them, the _Shenyang_'s GARDIAN systems were overwhelmed by geth torpedoes and the cruiser disappeared in a ball of flame. Sovereign's death beam carved through the space around them, obliterating dozens of fighters and several frigates at once.

"_S***. We just lost all of 21__st__ flotilla. How the h*** are we supposed to protect against this?_"

"_Wait. Something's happening to Sovereign. Now might be our chance!_"

Sovereign's glowing red weapon suddenly faded, and the monster ship detached from the Citadel Tower, leaving it floating aimlessly between the arms of the Citadel.

The _Moscow, Karachi_, and _Cape Town_, directly behind the _Kilimanjaro_, moved into position to fire on it, but were sheared apart by geth plasma fire. Their icons on the tactical display winked out.

A transmission came in from the _Seoul_. "_This position is unsustainable! Even if he's not shooting at us, we can't take Sovereign out in time! There's no way-"_

It cut off as a geth torpedo gutted the ship.

After a few more minutes of madness, Hackett examined the tactical console again. There was only one blue icon left. The _Kilimanjaro's_ own.

* * *

The master control unit's communications array crackled to life. "Commander? Shepard? This is Hackett. Come in, Shepard."

Shepard linked in his omni-tool to respond. "I'm here, Admiral. What's the situation outside?"

An explosion was heard from across the communications link. "Admiral? What's going on?"

"We've failed," said Hackett plainly. "Another geth force jumped in out of nowhere. Fifth Fleet's been decimated. We're evacuating the _Kilimanjaro_ now in escape pods. The _Ascension_'s taken heavy damage, but they've retreated and are still in one piece. Sovereign's still intact, and there's at least twenty geth cruisers out here. Get in touch with Alliance Command, or the Council. Tell them to send another fleet. Tell them-"

The communication cut off suddenly. Shepard looked out of the large window that ran up one side of the room, just in time to see the Alliance dreadnaught _Kilimanjaro_ shatter from a constant bombardment of plasma fire and torpedoes.

Behind him, the elevator dinged. Shepard turned, surprised, and was even more alarmed to see a squad of geth Primes and Destroyers charge out of it towards him. He dragged Tali behind a sturdy pillar and unfolded his rocket launcher once more.

The battle, it turned out, was far from over…


	12. What Could Go Wrong

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 12~

The red supergiant star Anadius burned fiercely. Looking down into it, basking in its glow was a certain multimillionaire. He sat on a custom made chair, produced by a company he owned, in the center of a large, circular room. The perfectly clear viewing screen displaying Anadius covered the wall of nearly half the room. The ceiling and floor were made of spotless black tiles, custom fabricated by a small-time factory on Earth. Their specialized design allowed them to hide holographic projectors beneath, which, with a single voice command, could covert the room from a simple viewing area to a fully functional information monitoring and communications center.

He smoked a cigar, rolled in a facility on Elysium, containing the finest crops grown on Terra Nova, Horizon, and Eden Prime. It belonged to a brand that he himself owned 90% of. Like everything else in the room, it was a monument to who they were, how far they had come, and how far they would go.

"Sir," the voice of his loyal second-in-command said from over his shoulder: A crisp, recognizably Australian voice belonging to a female. "Our team on the Citadel just sent us an updated report. Displaying now."

The emitters in the floor powered up, and a semicircle of holographic displays flared into existence before him. He crossed his legs and leaned back, reading through the report at a leisurely pace.

_Coeat Fortitudo Obedientiam, Fortitudo Est Humanitas_

_Sovereign has ceased all function and is drifting. Council has likely been evacuated. Alliance Fifth Fleet destroyed. Twenty three geth cruisers remain in area. Unknown quantity of geth ground forces remain in Presidium. Geth cruisers are maintaining a defensive perimeter around Sovereign. Goal unknown. Intercepted radio transmissions suggest Council relief fleet is on the way. Estimated arrival time unknown. Saren Arterius is likely terminated. Primary target is likely in Citadel Tower, also likely to be engaging remaining geth forces in the Presidium. C-Sec is making attempts at pushing into the Presidium with limited success. Orders?-M_

The man sighed before calling up a holographic haptic-feedback keyboard and tapping out a response.

_Coeat Fortitudo Obedientiam, Fortitudo Est Humanitas_

_Deploy retrieval team to the Tower. Pacify C-Sec as necessary, but leave no evidence. Ensure that tower is reached before C-Sec or Alliance relief forces arrive. Utilize experimental weaponry as needed to remove geth threats. Do not attempt retrieval of secondary targets. Re-establish contact when primary target is secure.-TIM_

With a simple hand gesture, the message was away. And the world was changed.

* * *

Chellick sighed, clutching his assault rifle and ducking back behind the hastily erected barricade. "There's another wave down. What are they even trying to accomplish here?"

"Heck if I know," replied the asari constable that had been assigned to the corridor along with him. "Situation's bad outside too, from what I've heard. Rumor has it that the Alliance fleet's been completely destroyed."

"The entire fleet? Damn. Where are our reinforcements? The Hierarchy should have had a rapid response fleet here hours ago."

His companion shook her head. "All deployed, remember? Patrols were increased to blockade Saren from returning to the Citadel."

"Look how well that turned out," grumbled Chellick.

The elevator behind them dinged all of a sudden.

"Huh?" Chellick muttered. "Headquarters didn't say we were getting anyone else up here."

The doors slid open. Inside were at least five humans, none of whom were in C-Sec uniforms. All of them were wearing black, unmarked armor.

"Who are you?" Chellick demanded. "What are you doing up here? Don't you know that the Presidium is a war zone right now? Take the elevator back down, we can't have civilians-"

"Oh, we know," the male human at the front of the group said, cutting him off. "You're working too hard, Officers. Why don't you take a break?"

Chellick felt something prick his neck. He frantically clawed at the spot and yanked the object out. It was a dart of some sort. His vision began to blur. A thump sounded from behind him where his fellow officer had already hit the floor, unconscious. "What are you," he slurred, sagging to the floor, "why are you…"

He drifted into a deep, deep, sleep.

* * *

"Garrus!" shouted Shepard, flinching as a rocket slammed into the pillar he was behind. "You okay?"

The turian groaned. "You know how hard it is to fight against geth rocket troopers when you're a turian? The whole not-being-able-to-duck thing really puts a wrench in a lot of plans. And the whole not-being-able-to-feel-my-legs-after-being-slammed -into-a-wall-for-a-second-time development doesn't really help."

"Don't tell me that!" yelled Shepard. "You had better duck, Garrus. Or I'll come down there and blow you up myself. Am I understood?"

"Loud and clear," coughed Garrus back up the stairs.

Shepard checked his power cell count. Enough for four more rockets, he reckoned. The squad of Primes and Destroyers that were advancing on him would require far more than that to take out.

"Hey, Shepard?" called Garrus.

"What?" demanded Shepard, frantically looking around for a way to get rid of the approaching geth.

"What do I do if a geth Destroyer runs up to me and smacks my face in?"

Shepard paused for a moment. "Uh… shoot him?"

"Can't," said Garrus. "I lost my weapons when I got sent flying. Omni-tool's broken too, from what I can tell."

Another rocket slammed into Shepard's pillar. "Play dead after he hits you so he doesn't shoot you too?"

Garrus sighed. "I swear, Shepard. If my face is damaged after this, you're paying to have it fixed. Though I suppose it might give you a bit of a chance with the – oh crap. Hi."

Shepard winced as he heard the solid smack of a geth platform bashing Garrus in the helmet reverberate through the room. "Garrus?"

No response. He was on his own. He peeked slightly around his cover only to have a rocket immediately hit him, taking down his shields. This was not going to be fun.

* * *

The _Vesaria_ idled by the Imir Relay, its crew frantically tapping into whatever communications channels they could to get a read on the situation.

"From what we can tell," Victus's comms officer reported, "we've got a sizeable geth force remaining in position near the Citadel. If we tried to jump in-system right now on our own, we wouldn't stand a chance. We have to regroup before attempting to mount any kind of counter-offensive."

Victus nodded to her. "Excellent assessment, Lieutenant. Give me a broadcast link into the buoy network, top priority, for all Council vessels. Someone needs to organize all this, and with the defense fleet decimated it's entirely possible that we've been promoted by circumstance to a command position."

She nodded and moved to secure the connection.

* * *

Joker gritted his teeth, guiding the _Normandy_ towards the Pax Relay, into the last jump needed to reach their destination. Pressly stood over his shoulder, monitoring the bridge consoles worriedly, and Kaidan remained sitting to his right. Suddenly, their high-priority communications channel crackled.

"_This is HSV _Vesaria_ to all Council patrol vessels. The Citadel has suffered an attack by one or more geth fleets. Do not attempt to enter the Widow system alone. I repeat, do not attempt to reinforce. Geth forces have control of the space around the station. We will regroup in the Pranas system and move on the Citadel from there. _Vesaria _out."_

Joker turned to Pressly, eyebrow raised. Pressly shook his head. "We're wanted for treason. Linking up with the Council reinforcements would be stupid. Worst case, they shoot on sight. Best case, they take us all prisoner until this mess is over."

"What would we do instead, then?" countered Kaidan. "If there is indeed a geth fleet on the other side of this relay, the Normandy alone won't be able to deal with it. Hopefully they'll realize that imprisoning us wouldn't exactly help them take back the Citadel."

"That's a chance I'm not willing to take," replied Pressly. "The Commander ordered us to get to the Citadel, so that's where we're going. Joker, get us through the relay. Our stealth systems should keep them from spotting us until we get in close. We should be able to get back into radio contact with Shepard before then."

"Aye aye," said Joker, lining the ship up for the jump.

* * *

Hackett coughed, looking back and forth at the four others in the escape pod with him. He'd barely made it, the _Kilimanjaro_'s structure collapsing around him as he'd swung into it. "Does this bucket have a radio? We need to know what's going on."

One of the men answered. "Negative, Admiral. This pod got grazed by geth fire, took out almost all of the electronics. It's a miracle it's still recycling air."

Hackett sighed, taking a seat. The four others stared down at the metal floor, suddenly aware of all that had just happened. The entire Fifth Fleet, destroyed. Thousands of lives, extinguished. And for what? Sovereign was still intact, and a geth fleet had control of the Citadel.

Hackett put his head in his hands. Hopefully Shepard was having better luck on the ground.

* * *

"Oh, f***," grumbled Shepard as the geth Primes and Destroyers overheated his weapons and overloaded his shields. He turned and fired his last four rockets into them. The four explosions rocked the room, clouding the stairs with smoke. Shepard panted heavily. "Thought I was a goner there," he mumbled to himself, brushing dirt off of his armor. He saw a slight movement through the smoke. It was a tall figure, approaching him slowly.

"Garrus?" he called. "Is that you?"

The smoke settled, and he found himself staring square into the flashlights of two geth Primes, both badly damaged but still very much functional. Shepard immediately dove to the side, but as fast as he was, rockets were faster. A geth rocket caught him in the side, the explosion sending him flying several meters before he hit the ground again.

Shepard tried to rise to his feet. He coughed, and was horrified to see spots of blood come spattering from his mouth. He held a hand down to his midsection, and it came away covered in red…

* * *

The operative held up a hand, bringing the five of them to a stop. Around the corner was the elevator up to the Citadel Tower, and before it stood several geth sentries. He turned to the man behind him. "So, Wilson, what did the man say? Experimental weapons use authorized?"

Wilson nodded. "Almost to the letter."

"So…" The first man reached behind his back and retrieved a large, bulky, vaguely gun-like device. "You're the smart one. Will this thing work, or will it just blow up in my face when I try to use it?"

Wilson sighed. "I'm a medical doctor with slight omni-tool training, not a weapons tech. As far as I know, the Arc Projector has had at least one successful field test. If the man says it'll work, it'll probably work. Just make sure you're following the instructions manual."

"Manual? What manual?" The first man peeked around the corner. "So, I'm guessing to use this, you just hold down the trigger?"

"God dammit , Messner!" hissed Wilson. "This is a vital operation! You didn't even read up on the highly experimental technology that we're bringing into a live combat scenario?"

The men that were standing behind him shifted nervously, now somewhat anxious to get a piece of cover between them and their negligent leader.

"Eh, it'll be fine," Messner grunted, pointing the large device at the geth troopers before them and depressing the trigger. "What's the worst that could happen?"


	13. The Harder They Fall

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 13~

Author's Note: An earlier version of this chapter had a teleporting Tali. Fixed now. Thanks kami kyuubi sama. I need a beta reader or something XD

* * *

Shepard grunted, hauling himself back into cover behind a pillar. His vision was starting to blur, and there was a ringing in his ears that wouldn't go away. Luckily, there was no pain. He remembered Chakwas's words.

"_Medigel doesn't fix you; it just kills the pain and stops your organs from falling out until you can reach a doctor."_

Unfortunately for him, there were no doctors around to help.

A geth Prime rounded the corner. Shepard raised his pistol and pulled the trigger as fast as he could, but his eyes couldn't see quite straight and the command-and-control geth unit easily stood up to the rounds that managed to hit. It chirruped and raised its own weapon.

A burst of plasma fire met Shepard's chest, and the world faded to black.

* * *

Nothing happened.

"What," muttered Messner, pumping the trigger several more times. The experimental weapon simply hummed slightly with energy.

"I swear to god, Messner," panted Wilson, "you could have killed all of us! What in God's name were you thinking?! What if it went off in our direction?"

"Relax, Wilson," Messner grumbled. "The thing's broken. See?" he added, holding down the trigger and waving it in the air. "Harmless!" The weapon hummed with power, and Wilson backed away slightly.

After holding down the trigger for about two seconds, a bright white bolt of lightning sprung forth from the device, straight up towards the ceiling. It slammed into the Presidium roof, shorting out a patch of artificial sky with a loud thrum.

The geth sentries, hearing the noise, turned towards them to investigate.

"Great," hissed Wilson. "Look what you've done! Now they know we're here! What was the boss thinking, putting you in charge of this operation anyways?" The three others behind him pulled their weapons, ready to defend themselves.

"Aww, don't worry man," said Messner cheerfully. "Now that I know how this works, it'll be simple!"

He turned the corner, holding the trigger down.

"Hey gethy-geths! You wanna know how this story ends?"

The geth troopers turned their flashlight heads to him, raising their weapons. But before they could fire, another bolt of electric energy burst forth from the device, pumping directly into the first geth unit. It then arced to hit the second one as well, collapsing both troopers in sizzling, sparking heaps.

"I know. It's a real _shocker_, isn't it?"

Wilson slapped his own forehead.

* * *

The _Normandy_ flashed into position by the Widow relay, stealth systems engaged.

Joker pulled up a communications channel on the ground squad's frequency. "_Normandy_ to the Citadel. I repeat, _Normandy_ to the Citadel. You there, Commander?"

There was no response.

Pressly examined the sensor readings, face wrinkled with worry. "Looks like… exactly twenty three geth cruisers holding a defensive perimeter around the Citadel Tower. Sovereign is right in the middle of them."

"Sovereign?" Kaidan muttered. "We have to take him down! He's a Reaper, and the hologram on Virmire told us the Citadel is of Reaper construction. Who knows what functions that thing's turning on right now? Do we have the firepower to take down a ship of that size?"

"Dreadnaught weight ship?" mused Joker. "Maybe if its barriers were down, its sensors were fried, and we got really lucky."

"Well, we'll have to hope we've got luck," reported Pressly. "Sensors say that Sovereign's drifting, and there are no gravity fluctuations around it indicating barriers."

Joker sighed. "I meant a regular dreadnaught, alone. Sovereign's got an entire fleet of other ships protecting it right now, which will see us coming before we get close enough to attack, stealth system or no stealth system. And we don't even know what it's made of. If it's the same stuff as the Citadel, nothing short of ramming it and having our fusion plant overload could even _dent_ him."

"We've got to try," insisted Kaidan. "If the rest of the Reapers get here, we're all dead. This may be the best shot we'll ever have to stop them. Even if this does turn out to be a suicide run."

Pressly looked at each of them in the eye. "If… if this doesn't turn out. I wish the Commander were here to hear me say this, but… Just wanted to let you know, it's been an honor serving with you." He turned to look at Liara, still standing with arms crossed in the corner of the cockpit, anxiously listening. "All of you. My perspective's changed a lot since I first boarded the Normandy."

"As has mine," noted Liara. "But before you start writing this off as a suicide run… there is one thing Tali told me that you may not be considering."

"What's that?" asked Kaidan.

"With the stealth systems active, the geth fleet will not be able to detect us, at least until we open fire. Geth ships do not use windows."

* * *

The elevator slowed and signaled its arrival with a soft ding. Messner raised the Arc Projector, holding down the trigger as the doors slid open.

Two geth Destroyers raised their weapons, and were immediately struck down by a brilliant burst of power, sending them convulsing to the floor. The operatives rushed out of the elevator, weapons raised, ready to deal with any other threats. One of them fired several pistol shots into the collapsed Destroyers, making sure they were dealt with.

Messner signaled the group forwards, up the stairs. Seeing the silhouettes of more geth, he charged up his weapon once more.

But the geth saw him coming, and opened up with their pulse rifles.

"S***," he cursed, and the squad dove into cover. One of them was too slow, and died quickly as plasma tore through his shields and armor. He raised the Arc Projector above his head and blind-fired it in the direction of the geth, relying on its natural tracking ability to find targets.

Wilson peeked from cover and saw the large geth units collapse. He checked his radar. The area was clear.

"Go!" shouted Messner. "Retrieve the primary objective. I'll cover the elevator."

Wilson nodded and dashed up the rest of the stairs, omni-tool at the ready.

* * *

"All hands, this is helm," Joker said over the intercom. "I recommend you find something to hang onto. This could get dicey."

With that, the Normandy streaked forwards towards the Citadel.

"Torpedoes are ready to go, your discretion," reported Kaidan. "You're sure you can pull this off?"

"I'm trying to hit a stationary target," replied Joker. "Anyone could pull this off. The hard part will be getting away from all those cruisers in one piece after we do it. But I'm the best damn helmsman in the entire fleet. I'll make this ship dance. You just wait."

The Normandy plummeted between the Citadel's arms, straight down the center towards the geth fleet. Sovereign was directly before them.

"The moment we open fire, the geth will be all over us," Kaidan reminded him.

"I know," replied Joker. He rotated his hat around on his head, and his hand hovered over the fire button. He watched the distance indicator tick down. Thirty kilometers to contact. Twenty-five. Twenty.

_**This outcome was not anticipated, but acceptable. The harvest will continue. They will ascend.**_

"Joker?" said Kaidan worriedly, seeing Sovereign grow larger through the viewport. Joker looked back at the distance readout. "Using the force" was a good way to get killed. Ten kilometers to contact.

It was show time. He slammed his hand down on the fire control, and the Normandy spat out its entire arsenal of Javelin torpedoes.

"Twenty-four torpedoes away," reported Pressly. "The geth have taken notice! Incoming fire!"

The twenty-four torpedoes surged forth in pairs, streaking straight for Sovereign. Geth cruisers were close by, however, and fired on both the torpedoes and the _Normandy _with GARDIAN systems as they rotated around to target the vessel with their main guns.

Pressly gazed at the informative readouts. "They're shooting down a lot of our torpedoes, but…"

_**The vanguard has fallen, as he has every time before. The collection may begin.**_

Their torpedoes, streaking before them, detonated as invisible point defense lasers boiled them away. But there were a lot of them, and they were going fast. More than six hit their target, and Sovereign's hull collapsed inwards.

"Direct hits!" crowed Pressly. "Sovereign has to be going down after that!"

They couldn't stick around to watch what happened afterwards. Joker veered the Normandy away, geth plasma rounds missing by mere feet as the frigate gracefully pin-wheeled. But as good as he was, he couldn't dodge lasers. The ship rocked as high-intensity ultraviolet light burned into the hull.

"Ablative plating is holding, but it won't for long," noted Kaidan. "We've got to get out of weapons range."

"I'm trying!" grumbled Joker, jinking sharply to the left to avoid a blast from a geth spinal gun.

Suddenly, the entire ship rocked with an explosion.

_**The inconsistencies are irrelevant. Those that felled the vanguard will be targeted, as they always have. And they will ascend.**_

Pressly looked at the bridge readouts worriedly. "Aw, hell. We've lost the left vectored thruster. Looks like it got burned straight off by enemy GARDIANs."

"S***, s***, s***!" cursed Joker, his hands racing over the controls frantically. "I can't dodge all of them with just one maneuvering thruster! We're gonna start eating shots, everyone better hang on!"

The ship shook slightly as a plasma round slammed into the vessel from behind, the energy thankfully dissipated by the vessel's kinetic barriers. The barriers, however, were very much not designed to handle plasma fire, and they lost integrity after just one shot.

"Barriers are down!" shouted Kaidan.

_**The time of our return is coming. We are pure. Perfection. The absence of all chaos. All are one. We are their salvation through destruction.**_

Joker tapped into the intercom. "Engineering! Give me some z-axis torque, or in two seconds we'll be a very expensive hunk of scrap metal!"

Engineer Adams' voice came through. "We're working on repurposing the stealth drive fields. Using the internal emission sink activator controls should give you limited pitch and roll control back… now! Try it!"

Joker slammed the IES controls and wrenched the Normandy to the side. A plasma round that would have gutted the ship simply grazed them.

_**You are but ripples upon an infinite sea. And you will shatter, leaving behind not even echoes. Leaving behind perfection.**_

"When will we be out of range?" asked Kaidan anxiously.

"Well, I'm guessing they're not happy that we just killed their god or something. They're right on our tail. We've got a speed advantage, sure, but we'll be in firing range for at least another five minutes. Now stop talking so I can dodge."

The _Normandy_ pirouetted through the dusts of the Serpent Nebula, her hull scarred with black streaks where ultraviolet lasers had burned into her. She trailed debris from battle damage, and her three remaining engines flared brilliantly. Plasma fire, from the entire geth fleet that was in pursuit, missed the ship by mere feet on all sides.

_**I am the Harbinger of your ascension. Prepare to meet your destiny.**_


	14. Monsters of the Past

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 14~

"All ships. We are through the relay in three. Two. One."

The _Vesaria_, followed by the rest of the Citadel patrol fleet, rocketed into the Serpent Nebula. "Status report," demanded Victus.

"The geth fleet's broken off from the Citadel," reported his comms officer. "They're in pursuit of an Alliance frigate. IFF registers her as… _Normandy_? She's quite badly damaged by the looks of it."

"_Normandy_?" grumbled Victus. "She went rogue not long ago. Watch yourselves. But she'll be a valuable distraction. All ships, form up and engage the geth forces. Where's the Destiny Ascension?"

"Getting a status update from the Executor," said the lieutenant. "Looks like the Ascension retreated via FTL to a nearby system, along with the remnants of the defense fleet. All of them are heavily damaged. I don't think they'd be able to help us."

"Very well," said Victus. "And the Alliance fleet?"

There was a long pause. "I… I think you're looking at it." The space between the Citadel's arms was littered with twisted shards of metal.

* * *

Joker gritted his teeth. "What's our FTL capability? Can we get out of here?"

"No go on that," replied Pressly. "With our thrust unbalanced, we'd be pumped full of lethal radiation in seconds."

Geth plasma fire continued to whistle past them.

"Dammit," Joker hissed. "All they have to do is get lucky, just once, and we're done for."

"Wait," Kaidan said suddenly. "Sensors are picking up someone else in the system. It's the Citadel reinforcements!"

Turian cruisers opened up with their twin cannons, blasting apart the pursuing geth forces with impunity. The geth broke off to engage the new threat.

"Oh god thank you," grumbled Joker.

"Don't start thanking anyone yet," Pressly noted. "As far as they know, we've committed treason. They're more likely to shoot us than help us at this point."

The geth fleet, realizing they were outnumbered and their mission was a failure, suddenly turned and FTL'd away, vanishing with a series of flashes.

"And now that there's no geth, they're even more likely to shoot at us," Pressly added.

A message came through their communications console. "Normandy_, this is_ Vesaria_. You are a rogue vessel, and your crew has committed acts of treason. Surrender or you will be fired upon_."

Joker turned to Pressly for orders. He nodded, and so Joker opened up their communications to reply. "_Vesaria_, this is _Normandy_. We will gladly turn ourselves over if it means we won't be blown to bits. We have no doubts, however that we have not committed treason and that recent events will exonerate us."

"_We will have to confirm that, _Normandy_. For now, shut down all non-critical systems and prepare to be boarded_."

Joker sighed. "Turians sure are a fun bunch, aren't they? They'd better be willing to push me. I can't exactly move my wheelchair while wearing handcuffs."

Kaidan chuckled, shaking his head.

* * *

Anderson, flanked by the human embassy's Alliance marine detachment, stalked out of the elevator for the Citadel Tower. C-Sec had been grateful for their help in securing the Presidium, and they had gotten to the Tower first. They quickly fanned out, searching the area. He shook his head as he observed the damage. Scorch marks and bullet holes were everywhere, and a few of the trees were even on fire.

"Captain Anderson! We've found them!" He turned, and saw one of the marines helping a turian and a quarian to their feet. He recognized them, and quickly walked over.

"It's over, you're safe now," he assured them as the detachment's medic treated their injuries. "Where's the Commander? Where's Shepard?"

Tali, rather dazed and running a high fever, looked at Garrus. The turian shrugged, for he did not know. The rest of the marine team returned to them, their search completed. They'd found nothing.

Anderson looked forwards up the stairs, hoping that somehow, from somewhere, Shepard would appear, clambering atop the rubble, walking with just a slight limp, smiling madly as if nothing had happened.

But he didn't. Realization began to sink in. Commander Shepard, the man who'd saved the Council, who'd saved them _all_, was missing.

* * *

_Sand blew in every direction. The marine platoon disembarked from their armored personnel carriers._

"_Alright, men," their commanding officer shouted. "Distress beacon's just half a click away. Make sure you're ready. I don't expect we'll find much, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. We move in ten."_

_Lieutenant Shepard popped out of his M-29 "Grizzly"'s hatch, boots planting down on the soft sand. The sun beat down on him. _

"_Hey," Toombs shouted to him. "Shepard! Get over here. We're sharing a smoke."_

_Shepard sighed. "That stuff'll ruin your health, you know."_

"_So will getting shot, and that'll do it a lot faster. In this life, who knows what'll happen the next day? Come on, man. Don't be such a downer."_

"_I plan on not getting shot," Shepard countered. "You only live once. I don't care how good surgery has gotten in the last ten years; I'm not shoving tar into my lungs."_

"_Fair enough," snorted Toombs. _

_The sands blew, clouding the air with yellow._

* * *

"We are gathered here today to recognize the enormous contribution of the Alliance in the battle against the geth." Councilor Tevos paused for a moment.

Before her, there stood an audience of many people: Ambassadors, C-Sec officers, Alliance personnel, and Citadel Fleet crew members. Among them were Anderson, Udina, and the Normandy crew.

Sparatus, the turian councilor, continued. "Many humans willingly gave their lives so that we, the Council, might live. There is no greater sacrifice, and we are eternally in their debt."

"Humanity has shown it is ready to stand as a protector and guardian of the galaxy. Thus, we extend an invitation for them to join our ranks and serve beside us on this Council."

Ambassador Udina stood. "Thank you, Councilor. This is an honor. On behalf of humanity and the Alliance, I humbly accept your offer."

Tevos smiled slightly. "We will need a list of candidates. I assume that your Parliament will want to vote on a matter such as this?"

Udina nodded. "That is correct. I will contact you when the Alliance has reached a decision." He sat back down.

Tevos drew another breath. "There is one more matter to be discussed today. Shortly before the geth attack, we ordered that the Normandy, under the command of Commander Shepard, be locked down. The crew, however, circumvented the lockdown and went rogue."

Valern, representing the Salarians, spoke. "As you know, such an action is an act of treason."

"But the actions of the Normandy's crew that day," Sparatus continued, "are the only reason any of us are alive now. We extend to them our sincerest apologies. You may have heard that Shepard is currently missing in action."

Tevos finished for him. "The first human Spectre, Shepard was a symbol. An icon. The best humanity had to offer. We did not always get along, but in the end, what he did resulted in all of us being able to stand here today. His loss is a tragedy to all of the galactic community. And he will be remembered."

Applause filled the air. But the man it was directed at was not around to hear it.

* * *

_The platoon rounded the crest of the hill. In the center of the flat crater before them was the distress beacon, surrounded by a few bits of wreckage. Shepard frowned. "I don't like this," he mumbled to Toombs._

_Their commanding officer signaled them forwards. The platoon advanced slowly across the crater. Their radars showed no signs of any privateers or mercenaries in the area, but they remained cautious. Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began to shake, stirring up small clouds of sand and dust._

"_The hell is that?" grumbled Toombs._

_To their left, a massive worm-like creature burst from the ground, directly under their commanding officer, tossing their fellow soldiers dozens of feet into the air like ragdolls. Its massive gaping maw opened and sprayed a burst of acid unto the other marines near it, causing them to collapse with screams of agony._

"_Son of a b****!" screamed Shepard. "It's a thresher maw! Weapons free! Kill it!"_

_The surviving members of the platoon unfolded their rifles and opened up on the horrifying creature. It rapidly retreated back into the earth._

_Toombs panted. "Is it over? Did we kill it?"_

_Then, the ground beneath him disappeared._

* * *

Garrus leaned on the railing, gazing out over the Ward arms. Tali stood beside him, deep in thought.

"So what'll you do now?" asked the quarian.

"I'll go back into C-Sec," the turian replied. "Shepard really taught me a lot. I'll see if I can make a difference. Maybe even get someone to listen to me about the Reapers. You?"

Tali sighed. "I'll head back to the Migrant Fleet. I've got all this geth data that I'm sure they'll be eager to see."

Garrus's mandibles twitched. "And your father's probably a bit worried, too."

Tali hung her head. "I highly doubt it. I haven't even gotten a message from him since the award ceremony."

"You sure you want to go back?" asked Garrus. "The Reapers are still out there, you know. I could probably get you a cushy consultant job with C-Sec, given your tech expertise."

"I know," replied Tali, "but with Shepard gone, it's just…" She sighed again. "It's not the same, you know? And the flotilla needs me."

"I understand," said Garrus.

The two friends stood there in silence for a good few minutes, watching the cars speed by below.

* * *

"_Toombs!" Shepard shouted. But the man was gone, swallowed beneath the sands. He stood there in horror for a few seconds before the rumbling ground brought him back to his senses._

"_Everyone, fall back to the vehicles!" he shouted. "We can't fight this thing on foot!"_

_The marines that were left ran back the way they had come. The shaking ground indicated that they were being followed…_

* * *

Liara walked through the halls of the T'Soni estate. It was _hers_ now.

With Shepard gone, and the Normandy in dry-dock undergoing extensive repairs, the crew dispersed. She made her way back to Thessia, back to her old family home, which she had now inherited. Her work in archaeology seemed so pointless now. Fifty years of searching for the Protheans and their secrets, all made worthless by the discoveries of the past week. The Reapers were coming. Marveling at Prothean architecture could not help them now.

She was lost. Her entire field of research was now irrelevant. Yet she was one of the few who knew.

"_We found no evidence that Sovereign was not simply an advanced geth construct. The Reapers existed only in Shepard's visions, and he is no longer with us."_

She clenched her fists. How could the Council be so blind?

She sighed, taking a seat on a bench in the courtyard. She remembered running through it, carefree, in her youth, fascinated by the world around her. Intrigued by the secrets the galaxy might hold.

An asari walked up to her. "Excuse me, Lady Liara. I have an urgent matter that I need to discuss with you."

Liara looked up. It was one of her mother's acolytes, left behind to take care of the estate in her absence. She frowned. "It's Doctor T'Soni, please. What is this matter that needs my attention?"

She glanced side to side, nervously. "I… have information from a contact regarding an acquaintance of yours. A certain… _missing_… acquaintance of yours. Come, we must discuss this in private."

Liara quickly followed her inside.

* * *

_Lieutenant Shepard panted, rather blind with fear. He finally reached his Grizzly vehicle, clambering hastily through the hatch and into the driver's seat. He turned the vehicle to pick up the other marines running his way. _

_They were sprinting in a tight group towards him. He held down the accelerator, but the personnel carrier was not built for speed. Before he could get anywhere near, the thresher maw once again burst from the ground, sending the soldiers flying apart. _

_Shepard pulled the vehicle up to one of them, disembarking and attempting to haul the man aboard. The man, however, was already dead, his entire chest melted away by foul acid. Shepard looked around and saw that all of the other men were in much the same condition. _

_He hopped back into his vehicle and accelerated away, leaving behind the unmarked graves of nearly fifty men…_

* * *

The shuttle descended into the depths of the Tuchanka ruins. Several krogan gathered by the landing pad, curious. They did not get visitors often.

The door opened to reveal Urdnot Wrex. "Who are you," demanded one of the krogan. "State your business in Urdnot lands!"

"Alright, pansies," he snarled. "Here's how this is going to work." He viciously head butted the krogan who challenged him.

"My name is Urdnot Wrex. I may have been gone awhile, but I'm in charge of you sorry lot. And we've got a lot of work to do, 'cause soon, we're gonna be fighting giant monsters again."

* * *

"_Toombs? But… you were dead! I saw the thresher maw pull you under!"_

"_I wasn't dead, Shepard. I was captured. By these monsters."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_That beacon was placed there to lure us, Shepard. It was the bait. They wanted to see how the maws worked. The effect of their acid on our flesh. It was their sick experiment, Shepard! And our entire platoon paid the price for it!_

"_What do you mean? Why would they do that?"_

_Toombs gestured to the scientist he held at gunpoint._

"_They were delighted I'd survived. They ran tests on me, Shepard. I was treated like an animal. Tortured for years. You got away with a few scratches and a scary reputation. Me? They broke me, Shepard. And now, they must pay for what they have done."_

_A gun went off. It was not Toombs's. Shepard lowered his pistol as the scientist slid to the ground, clutching his now-bleeding throat. _

"_They will, Toombs. They will."_

_As the scientist died, he gurgled, trying to speak. No words came out, but Shepard could make out what he was saying from the man's lips._

"_Coeat fortitudo obedientiam, fortitudo est humanitas," the man hissed with his dying breath._

* * *

_The world was white. Blindingly so. _

_He drifted, thoughts pleasantly rippling within the field of white._

_But then the white fought back against his intrusion. It attacked him like an immune system, smothering his ripples, his color…_

"Okay, Miranda. I think he's regaining consciousness."

_The voices told him that the color was wrong, was a blight. But it was beautiful, and as it shattered, he felt only pain. Pain. PAIN._

"Already? I thought with his injuries he'd be out twice as long. He's a tough one, that's for sure. Shepard, can you hear me?"

He opened his eyes. Above him, quite uncomfortably close, was someone's face. He groaned. "What's going on?" he grunted. "Where am I?"

He tried to rise, but something stopped him from doing so.

"Woah, careful there," said the male voice. "Your injuries were extensive. We just finished patching you up. You really shouldn't be moving yet."

"Who are you?" Shepard whispered.

The female voice spoke. "This is Wilson, and my name is Miranda Lawson. I am the executive manager of this project. Welcome to Lazarus Station, Commander."

**~END OF PART ONE: DEVIATION~**


	15. Shifting Shadows

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 15~

Admiral Hackett straightened his dress blues, waiting for the doors to open. Outside, the megalopolis of Vancouver sparkled in the sun. Fifty years ago, it was merely acres of glass, steel, toxins, and waste. But since then, aggressive Alliance restoration programs had transformed most of the city into a squeaky-clean environment. The waters of the Pacific were blue, the sky was clear of smog, and trees grew between the buildings. A prime example of what the Alliance was trying to achieve everywhere.

And Hackett knew, if no action was taken, it would all be lost in a few years. For a threat that none of the city's inhabitants could even fathom was bearing down on them, faster than any of them would like to think. He'd seen a taste of it firsthand, witnessed his fleet torn to shreds by just one drop of the torrent that was coming.

An administrative assistant walked up to him. "Admiral? The defense committee will see you now."

"Thank you," he said gruffly. The doors opened for him, revealing the large meeting room that they had set aside. A large window spanned nearly floor-to-ceiling on one side of the room, looking out over the city. Before it was a raised dais, at which the five defense committee members were seated. They looked up from the data pads on the desk as he entered.

"Greetings, Admiral," one of them said. "We've looked over your report. Would you care to elaborate on how exactly you managed to lose the entire Fifth Fleet to one dreadnaught and what amounted to a geth raiding party?"

Hackett sighed. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

A hissing sound filled the air. "_Equalizing interior pressure with exterior atmosphere_," the airlock VI chirped.

Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams stood, side by side, waiting for the airlock to finish opening. With the Normandy in dry dock, both of them had been reassigned. For now, they were to report to Arcturus, where they would be given further orders.

"_Logged. Personnel transfer complete. Have a very nice day._" The doors slid open.

"So, L-T," said Ashley conversationally as they stepped forth, off of the SSV _Deligrad_, their transfer ship, into the long docking tube. "Any idea what our new orders are?"

"I've got no idea," replied Kaidan, "but they shipped us all the way back here to Arcturus rather than just transfer us to another ship at the Citadel. It's probably something at least a little bit interesting."

As they stepped out of the docking tube, Arcturus Station opened out before them. It was truly a marvel of engineering: a massive ring of metal and carbon, balanced perfectly between the gravitational fields of the Arcturus star and the planet Themis. It couldn't hold a candle to the eloquence of the Citadel Presidium, but then, Ashley thought, humans had actually _built_ the thing rather than just stumbling into it.

The corridors of the port they had docked into were gray and utilitarian, but they still bustled with the vibrancy of life. The thousands of people that called the station home strode through them with purpose, tending to the needs of the Alliance's center of government. Merchants stood by their kiosks, spouting advertising remarks. Parents in uniform scolded their kids for running.

Ashley smiled, watching a young girl with brown hair and green eyes weave between the crowds, having the time of her life. She missed her sisters. She had wanted to go meet up with them, but it seemed the Alliance had other plans for her…

A man in crisp black suit walked up to them. "Lieutenant Alenko and Gunnery Chief Williams?"

"That's us," replied Kaidan. "And you are…"

"I apologize," the man said, extending his hand. "Major Samuels. AIC. Pleasure to meet you."

Kaidan shook the offered hand. "Same to you, Major. If I may ask, why are you in a suit rather than your dress blues?"

Samuels chuckled. "You haven't had much experience with the Intelligence Corps, have you, Lieutenant? Of course not. I'll explain. Please follow me." He started off down the hallway.

Kaidan turned to Ashley, raising an eyebrow. Ashley just shrugged.

"This new assignment may be a bit more than we bargained for," Kaidan said quietly.

"Yeah, you can say that again," snorted Ashley.

The two strode down the hallway in pursuit of their new acquaintance.

* * *

The doctors insisted that he move as little as possible to avoid exacerbating his injuries. Shepard sighed. "So, how exactly did I get here? The last thing I remember was getting pinned down by geth in the Citadel Tower."

Miranda sat in a chair beside his bed. "A team recovered you from the Citadel Tower. You were quite badly injured: multiple plasma wounds to the chest, shrapnel stuck all over the place, and various broken bones and internal bleeding. This facility, however, is state of the art. Cutting edge technology. We had no problems keeping you alive. We could probably resurrect a corpse with all of the equipment we have lying around here."

She nodded to her companion, the man named Wilson. "Wilson here is our chief medical tech. He was in charge of most of your surgery."

Shepard frowned. "Cutting edge technology? Do I have cybernetics everywhere in my body now or something?"

Miranda chuckled. "A few trouble spots needed implants. But don't worry about them. You won't notice a difference, and if you do, it's probably because they're working better than they used to."

"Okay," grunted Shepard. "So what happened at the Citadel? Did we beat back the geth? What happened to my squadmates?"

"The Normandy managed to take out Sovereign, but sustained heavy damage," Miranda explained. "Everyone on board survived, surprisingly. After that, a Council reinforcement fleet arrived, and the remainder of the geth forces retreated. C-Sec was able to secure what areas of the Citadel the geth ground forces had taken. Your team members, the turian and quarian, were retrieved and brought to a Citadel hospital. Both survived their injuries."

"Wait," muttered Shepard. "If my squad was recovered after C-Sec secured the Presidium, when was I recovered? And by whom?"

Miranda took a breath. "We're a private organization with support from many members of the Alliance. I can't say much more than that for now. But trust me; your safety is one of our highest priorities. Now, if you would please, your recovery will be faster if you are asleep. Wilson here has a mild sedative for you. Next time you wake, you should be recovered enough to get back on your feet."

A needle was inserted in his arm. '_Who are these people?'_ he thought, as the world around him blurred and faded to black.

* * *

Liara stepped into her mother's old study. It was a small room, less than two hundred square feet in size, but it was packed. The walls were lined with bookshelves, holding actual paper books. Some of the tombs must have been ancient. In the center was a plain desk, adorned with a simple lamp and a basic built-in haptic-adaptive computer interface.

Her mother's acolyte keyed in a long, complicated series of numbers and letters, and a communications link opened. "_The night provides little solace to those who wander,_" said a gruff turian voice.

"When the curtain falls, those who wander turn to those who watch," replied the acolyte.

The exchange continued. "_Do the watchers forever chase the winds of time?_"

"Watchers do not simply chase. They are."

"_Identification confirmed_," said the turian. "_Linking you in now._"

Liara gave the acolyte a questioning gaze.

"Your mother had many connections," she explained. "Her network was rather extensive, for a matriarch; perhaps even rivaling that of an information broker. One of her contacts was someone whom I think you had experience dealing with during your time on the Normandy."

Liara's mind raced. Who could it be?

* * *

"Welcome to the Arcturus headquarters of the Alliance Intelligence Corps," Samuels whispered to them. He gazed up at the building, proudly putting his hands on his hips.

Ashley raised an eyebrow, looking at Kaidan. He shrugged, as clueless as she was. Ash turned to face Samuels again. "Um. Samuels? I'm no genius, but… I'm pretty sure this is a burger joint."

It was an astute observation. The storefront before them was easily recognizable as part of a very old yet very popular fast food chain. _Burger King_, the holographic advertisement displayed, _feeding you actual beef delicacies for 230 years!_

Samuels smiled, and to Kaidan it looked a bit like a evil grin. "Of course it's a burger joint! Come on; follow me inside, will you?"

They made their way to the back of the store, where a small, windowless steel door stood. It was marked with the words "EMPLOYEES ONLY." Samuels rapped on it.

A voice from inside quickly spoke up. "Can I help you?"

"We always strive to serve our customers the best that we can," replied Samuels.

The door recessed slightly into the wall and slid neatly to the side, revealing a long, brightly lit corridor. "Shall we?" said Samuels, holding out a hand, signaling the two of them forwards.

* * *

The robber, a twitchy salarian crook, held a machine pistol to the head of another salarian, his former coworker. C-Sec had been called on the scene in minutes, and the situation had devolved into a hostage scenario.

Garrus looked into the scope, taking a deep breath…

_Tali and Shepard searched one side of the abandoned underground complex. Garrus, with his investigative experience, had been assigned the other half. There was nothing of real value; all computers had been wiped and fried, and scans indicated the all the crates strewn about were empty._

_Suddenly, his radio crackled. "Garrus!" came a shout. "We're getting overrun back here! Looks like the mutant cyborg husks again! We could really use your help!"_

_He unfolded his sniper rifle and dashed to the door._

_When he entered the next room, Shepard was frantically firing his assault rifle, keeping three husks at bay. Tali stood next to him, firing her shotgun into them as quickly as she could without it overheating._

_They didn't notice the husk creeping up on them from the left side. Time seemed to slow as the husk lashed out with its arm aimed straight for Tali's head, mere inches away. Garrus gazed into his scope and fired off a shot in a fraction of a second, and the husk's hand was torn off in a bloody mess. But Tali was safe, and she turned to plant a full shotgun blast in the dismembered husk, nodding her thanks._

_They cleared out the facility without further incident. On their way out, they noticed an odd inscription carved into one of the boxes that their scans had missed, in human script. _

'_custodimus humanitus. ad maius bonum. fortitudo est humanitas, humanitas est fortitudo.'_

_Beside it, an unfamiliar symbol resembling two diamonds, one set inside the other…_

Garrus squeezed the trigger. The bullet flew true, slamming into the robber's arm, making him curse and drop his weapon. Nearby officers quickly rushed forwards to apprehend him.

Chellick, crouched by his side, whistled in admiration. "Damn, Garrus. That was a nice shot."

He grinned. "Thanks. The past month, I've had to take far more difficult ones, under far more pressure."

Chellick sighed. "Yeah, I'll bet. I ever tell you about how I held off four geth assaults in the Wards access corridors?"

* * *

"_Greetings, Doctor T'Soni,_" said a distorted voice. "_It is a pleasure to talk to you at last_."

"Do I know you?" asked Liara.

"_We have not met, yet we have interacted. You may know of me as the Shadow Broker_."

She drew a sharp breath. "Why have you contacted me?"

"_Because, Doctor T'Soni_," said the Broker, "_I have information that I am certain you will want. And then, perhaps we can reach a mutually beneficial agreement on what to do with that information_."

* * *

"_DETECTIVE VAKARIAN_!" Executor Pallin's voice shouted over the radio in Garrus's office. "_Get your ugly ass down to my office in the Presidium. NOW!_"

Garrus groaned, setting aside his paperwork. Chellick, whose office was across the hall, snickered.

"Well, well, Garrus. I guess someone disapproves of your style."

"Yeah," Garrus muttered. "I swear, this is the third time this week Pallin's called me in to scold me after a _successful arrest_. Wonder what he'd do if I screwed one up."

"Have fun!" Chellick called as he walked down the hall to the elevators. "Just for the record, Garrus, I disagree with Pallin. I think your ass looks great!"

Garrus turned and flicked him off. Slightly unprofessional behavior, sure, but he was in trouble anyways.

* * *

Major Samuels guided the two of them through long, winding corridors into a sealed room, furnished by a conference table and several chairs. He sat, and gestured for them to sit as well.

"So," he started. "I assume you're wondering why I've brought you here. And I suppose you're also wondering what all the secrecy is about."

Kaidan nodded. "We thought we were just getting assigned, to a new ship maybe. I'm guessing that's not what's happening?"

"Dead on, Lieutenant," answered Samuels. "You're getting a special assignment, if you choose to accept it. Not many know of the true influence of the Alliance Intelligence Corps, and we'd like to keep it that way."

"Alright, we'll play your game," said Ashley. "What's this assignment you've got for us?"

Samuels grinned. "Ever heard of an organization called Cerberus?"

* * *

"Welcome back, Garrus! I meant my comment from earlier. If Commander Shepard was a girl, she'd totally be hitting that!"

Garrus shot him a death glare as he sat back down at his desk. "I swear, Chellick. I don't need your tasteless humor today. Any more of this crap from Pallin and I might just quit again."

Chellick sighed. "Alright. What's the old man angry about this time?"

"He said that I shouldn't have taken that shot. That by doing so, I was," he made air quotes, "endangering civilians."

"Hmmph," snorted Chellick. "Well, he has a bit of a point. Taking a shot at someone like that, with civilians everywhere, wasn't quite following regulations. But he can't really argue with results, can he?"

"That's what I've been trying to say!" grumbled Garrus. "I've sniped mutated zombie humans off of others' backs. I put a round between Saren's eyes while he grappled with Shepard, for spirits sake! And now, I'm not allowed to take simple shots to save hostages!?"

Chellick shrugged. "Rules are rules, Garrus. If everyone was allowed to take shots like that, we'd have a lot of dead innocents on the streets."

Garrus shook his head. "Well, my shift's over. See you tomorrow, Chellick."

Chellick grinned. "Always a pleasure."

* * *

"He's alive?" Liara hissed, grasping the desk to steady herself.

"That is correct," confirmed the distorted voice of the Broker. "A deep cover operative of mine has infiltrated their ranks. They have grown to value his service and trust him. In forty standard galactic hours, he will override their station's defense network and our recovery team will move in. Would you like to join them?"

Liara's heart pounded. Was this all an elaborate hoax? Could it be true? _Well, I've been chasing meaningless leads for decades. What harm could it cause to follow this one now?_

"I'm in," she declared. "What do you need me to do?"

* * *

Author's Note: A wild original character appears! –fight –bag –pokémon –run

Disclaimer: I do not own Burger King or Pokémon or Mass Effect or the Pacific Ocean.


	16. Lazarus Falls

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 16~

When Shepard woke, he found himself dressed in a standard Alliance Battle Dress Uniform. "Why," he mumbled, "do people always find it okay to touch me while I'm asleep?"

"Ah, you're awake," said that eerily Australian voice. Miranda walked over to him. "Feeling better?"

Shepard nodded. He really did. He tried to sit up, and this time, nothing stopped him from doing so. He finally took a good look at his surroundings. It was a rather small medical room, with just one bed, his, and a shelf covered in medical equipment. There was a locker in the corner, and a cart covered in robotic surgical devices that made him shiver slightly. The rest of the room was sparse, and everything gleamed with a sterile white.

"So, are you gonna tell me who you work for now?"

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "My, my, Shepard. Always asking the difficult questions. Head down the hall to the mess hall. The station's chief security officer, Jacob Taylor, can answer any questions you have."

Shepard opened his mouth to protest, but then decided that if he had been kidnapped by some crazy billionaire madman it probably wasn't a good idea to argue with the staff. His stomach grumbled, and he realized something. "How long have I been out?"

"Oh," said Miranda. "The first time, you were unconscious for nearly a week while we patched you up. We kept you fed with nutrients in an IV needle. This time, we put you under for about a day and a half. You heal quickly, Shepard. We thought you'd want to eat some actual food now."

Shepard climbed out of his cot and walked out into the hall. He stopped right as he exited the room. Before him, emblazoned on the wall in grey, was an odd symbol. He swore he'd seen it before, but he couldn't recall where. It resembled a pair of diamonds, one placed within the other.

He put the thought aside for the moment and proceeded down the hall towards the cafeteria. As he walked, he passed several humans, wearing the same sort of BDUs that he was, but with that diamond emblem on their shoulders. They only gave him passing glances.

His unease was building. The cafeteria doors opened automatically for him, and he stepped inside. The room was not very large, just a few long tables with benches, and there was only one man seated. Shepard walked up to him to sit beside him.

"Jacob Taylor?"

The man looked up. His skin was darker-colored, and his muscularity was clearly visible through his rather tight clothing, which also bore that diamond emblem. "Ah, Shepard. You're awake. How are you doing?"

From somewhere, Jacob pulled out a tray full of foods: chicken, beans, rice, fish, and bread. "Hungry?"

Shepard nodded, taking the offered food. He quickly dove in, and his eyes widened with surprise. "Real meat?"

Jacob laughed. "Yup. This isn't exactly the Alliance. Here, we get fed right."

That comment set Shepard off again. "So, I'm told you can answer my questions?"

Jacob nodded. "That's right. I'll assuage any concerns you have to the best of my ability."

Shepard planted his hands down on the table. "Alright then. Answer this: Who do you work for?"

"You'll have to be a bit more specific than that," Jacob replied. "We're an organization with many backers, and several core ideals. I'm very glad we have you with us, Shepard. Working together, we could accomplish a lot."

"Woah there," said Shepard. "Working together? I'm not working for anyone until I know exactly who you are and why you've brought me here. Where is this? Why am I not in an Alliance facility?"

* * *

Garrus's office communicator rang, signifying an incoming message. He sighed. "If this is Pallin again, Spirits help him…" He clicked the button to play it.

It was not Pallin. Instead, a familiar asari voice came through. "Garrus? It's Liara. I just received some very important information regarding Shepard. Come to these coordinates as soon as you can."

Garrus's mandibles twitched. Liara? He hadn't heard from her since the Normandy went into drydock. She was supposed to be on Thessia, slogging through the mess of her mother's inheritance. The coordinates he'd received were for somewhere in the Horse Head Nebula, nearly halfway across the galaxy from there. And Shepard was gone. It'd been more than a week, with no trace of him found anywhere.

But what if Liara had found something? Garrus couldn't ignore a message like that from a friend. "Chellick, tell Pallin I've got to go somewhere. It's real urgent. When I get back, I'll explain."

Chellick rolled his eyes. "Taking leave to go running about the galaxy, bringing rogue Spectres to justice and getting the cute lady in the process?"

"Something like that," Garrus muttered, grabbing his weapons from his personal locker.

* * *

A solar flare burst forth from Anadius, lighting the room a brilliant orange. An expensive chair and its occupant wheeled around to face a communications hologram.

"Sir," said the hologram in a perfect Australian accent. "Our original plan with Shepard is non-viable. There is no way he would willingly help us in any capacity. His past with the organization's other branches has clouded his judgement."

A ring of smoke, expensive yet still lung-damaging, puffed into the air from the billionaire's mouth. "As I suspected," the man said. "It would have been nice if he worked with us on his own accord, but in the end, it doesn't matter. I assume the implant procedure was successful?"

The hologram nodded. "All indications are that they are fully functional. They haven't yet been activated though, and I can't speak for the impact they may have on his mental health…"

The man sighed, sipping his lucratively expensive brandy. "It's worth it, Operative Lawson. Shepard is a symbol. The best humanity has to offer. Now, he will be an asset to us. He will allow us to advance humanity. To let us gain dominance against the Reapers, and beyond. I admit, Operative Lawson, I was against the idea at first. But your analysis was dead on. I never should have doubted you."

"Thank you, sir," the hologram said, and flickered out of existence.

* * *

Wilson peeked around the corner, checking the hallway leading to the security room. It was clear. As a precaution, he screwed a suppressor unto his prototype Phalanx hand cannon. It was a highly-trafficked area of the station, and it didn't hurt to be prepared if he was caught.

The doctor tucked the handgun into his waist and strode purposefully across the hall. Before he reached the security room doors, a voice called out to him. "Hey, Wilson? Is that you? You're on the medical team, right?" It was one of the station technicians. "What are you doing in this part of the stat-"

Before he finished the sentence, Wilson had turned, using his pistol's laser sight to drill a bullet into the man's skull with pinpoint precision. The shot went off with an airy plink, the noise muffled by the suppressor.

Wilson dashed the rest of the way down the hall to the security room, sealing the doors behind him with his omni-tool. The jig was up. Once someone wandered into that hallway, they would know that a traitor was among them. Wilson tapped into the station's security protocols, preparing a custom-made virus that would fry the external sensors, disable communications, and reprogram the interior security mechs to attack all of the base personnel. Before leaving, he used the security station to broadcast a message out into space.

* * *

The MSV _Iadantor_, officially registered in Citadel records as a cargo freighter, drifted in the Horse Head Nebula, carrying in its hidden hangar bay six Kodiak assault shuttles and more than three dozen mercenary soldiers. All of whom were employed by one man, or one group posing as one man. Almost all bore his / their logo on their armor, a three-point red star. They were the Shadow Broker's private army.

With them were two individuals who were very much not mercenary soldiers. Liara T'Soni stood, wearing a suit of high-end light armor that she had obtained during her run with Shepard. Beside her, there stood a turian friend of hers, who, on a normal day, would arrest the sort of individuals gathered around them. He too was combat-ready. Suddenly, all of their omni-tools beeped.

A message had come in. It read: 'The night winds have blown, and the guardian's first bastion has fallen.'

"Go, go, go!" shouted an asari from across the hangar. The mercenaries, galvanized into action, began loading into the shuttles. The asari who had issued the order walked over to the two who were rather out of place.

Rather than the standard grey armor that most of the mercenaries wore, she was wearing custom blue armor with white highlights.

"Don't recognize you two," she said quickly. "Name's Tela Vasir. Special Tactics and Recon. Codename Hammer. You are?"

Garrus's mandibles widened. "You're a Spectre? What are you doing working for the Shadow Broker?"

Vasir sighed. "The Broker's given me good intel over the years. Intel that I've used to save lives. So if he asks me to go raid some random corporate station for him, I'm hardly going to turn him down. Plus, this isn't a typical mercenary operation, as you two probably know."

Liara nodded. "We're here for just one person. One very specific person."

Vasir grinned. "Shepard, right? I heard the rumors that he might be alive, but I didn't know this raid was to go after him. I'd like to meet the guy. He did a good job with Saren. And if these idiots have him, well. I really have no reason to feel bad about this raid then, do I?"

* * *

The station shook with a faint explosion, and an alarm began to blare. Jacob looked up, worried. "That's my cue. First time I've actually been needed on this station. I'd better go check on the security room. You should probably get back to the medical room you were staying in. If there's an attack in progress, that'll be the safest place."

Shepard frowned. "I still haven't gotten any straight answers out of you yet! Who would be attacking us, and why are they attacking?"

Jacob sighed. "It'd take awhile to explain, and that's time I don't think we have right now. Gotta go, Shepard. I'll see you later, hopefully."

He dashed out of the cafeteria and down the hallway.

Shepard stood and followed after him, intending to head back to his room as he had been instructed. But before he reached it, he passed a window looking into an adjoining hallway. Through it, he could see a fire burning, and several of the station personnel were firing handguns through the smoke at… something. He squinted. Suddenly, a rocket flew back out of the smoke, killing the men and women instantly and shattering the window. He ducked as the glass clattered to the floor, and then peeked out to look at what was beyond.

Through the broken window stood a massive, armored, bipedal machine, its rectangular head bearing two red-ringed optical sensors and its arms undoubtedly carrying heavy weapons. It instantly saw him and turned towards him.

"Oh, f***," muttered Shepard, ducking back behind the low wall. If he could just get the thing distracted, then hop across and retrieve one of those handguns…

Before he could put his plan into action, several more mechs rounded the corner of the hallway he was in. They were less heavy-duty, with slimmer bodies and simply holding standard-issue machine pistols, but they had him trapped in a long hallway with absolutely no cover. Shepard dashed forwards, hoping to round the next corner without taking any fatal wounds.

But the mechs did not open fire. Instead, they just glanced at him before continuing onwards through the hallway. Shepard raised an eyebrow, confused, as the mechs walked straight past him. He peeked through the shattered window again. The heavy mech looked at him, and then turned, uninterested.

All of a sudden, the intercom crackled. "Shepard? Commander Shepard, if you can hear me, the station is under attack." It was Miranda's voice. "If you find a weapon from one of the security personnel, take it. The station mechs have gone rampant. Find your way to the shuttle bay if possible. Signs on the walls will direct you. These security mechs are high-tech prototypes, we can't take them all on. We'll have to evacuate."

"Huh," he muttered. "How curious." He vaulted through the broken window and bent to retrieve a handgun from one of the dead.

One of the "high tech" mechs rounded the hallway corner again, staring at Shepard blankly. Its weapon wasn't even raised. Shepard rolled his eyes, but decided to play along, following an arrow on the wall that directed him to the shuttle bay.

* * *

He didn't get far before he ran into Jacob, crouched behind a glass railing that in Shepard's opinion didn't look like terribly great cover.

"Shepard!" the man shouted. "Over here!"

Shepard ran over and crouched down beside him. "Hey there, Jacob. What's going on?" he said, in a cheery tone.

Jacob sighed. "While I appreciate your enthusiasm, now isn't really the time. Every damn mech in the station's started shooting at us. This had to be an inside job. You'd need top security clearance to access the mechs."

Shepard rolled his eyes. "Inside job, eh? Inside what, exactly? Now that we're being shot at and all, care to tell me exactly who owns this place?"

Jacob flinched as a shot from one of the mechs across the room whizzed past his head. "Now isn't really the time for a game of Twenty Questions, Shepard! The only reason I've survived this long is that I'm a biotic, and can protect myself with barriers. We get out of here, and I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"Sounds good," replied Shepard. It was a bit hard to pretend that you were being shot at, but Shepard thought he managed to fake it quite well as he helped Jacob shoot up the remaining mechs in the room.

* * *

Their shuttle landed, and the hatch clicked open. The mercenaries that had ridden with them streamed out, securing the hangar. Liara and Garrus followed Vasir out of the vehicle, taking in their surroundings.

"Huh," mumbled Garrus, noticing the emblem emblazoned on the walls and doors. "Now where have I seen that before…?"

Vasir shrugged and drew her assault rifle. "This is Hammer. Let's go, people," she shouted. "Salvage whatever data you can, and leave none of these bastards alive, other than our inside man. Make sure Shepard gets retrieved, unharmed."

The mercenaries fanned out into the hallways of the station. The hacked security mechs had probably done most of the work for them, but they expected there to be a few survivors.

Vasir gestured to Liara and Garrus. "This way, you two. Our informant sent us quite detailed schematics. Shepard should be in this direction." She started after the mercenary squad that had gone the way she indicated.

Liara nodded, drawing her pistol and following the older asari down the corridor. Garrus was right on her heels.

* * *

Shepard crouched by a man, lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. A single bullet hole was visible, right between his eyes. There was no pulse. He shook his head, standing up straight once more.

"We should be coming up on the security room," Jacob informed him. Shepard rounded the corner, pistol raised. A man that he recognized stood there, tapping into his omni-tool.

"Hey," he called. "Your name is Wilson, right?"

Wilson turned, raising a handgun of a type Shepard had never seen before, before realizing who it was and calming down. "Shepard? Nice to see you're up and about. Let me tell you what's going on here."

Jacob followed Shepard around the corner. "You know why we're being attacked? Please explain, Wilson."

Wilson seemed a bit startled to see him. "Jacob? How the h***… Never mind. We, uh, we've gotta get off of the station. The mechs have all gone nuts. I came up here to the security room to try and fix it, but whoever did it fried the entire system. Completely irreversible."

Jacob sighed. "Dang. Alright. Let's try and find Miranda, and then get out of here."

"Miranda?" Wilson snorted. "Forget about her. She was over in D-Wing. The mechs were all over the place there. There's no way she made it."

"A bunch of mechs won't drop Miranda," Jacob insisted. "She's alive."

"We don't know that!" retorted Wilson. "Why haven't we heard from her since the attack began? We have to save ourselves right now. If she's alive, she'll be heading to the shuttle bay to evacuate too."

Jacob thought for a few moments, and then nodded in acceptance. "Alright."

He then turned to Shepard. "Okay, Shepard. Things are getting a little tense. If I tell you who we work for, will you trust us?"

Shepard crossed his arms. "Maybe. But please, go on."

Wilson held up a hand. "Wait, Jacob. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Jacob nodded. "If Shepard's going to be watching our backs, we can't be keeping secrets from each other."

Wilson sighed. "Fine. I don't think the boss is going to be happy, but it's your ass, Jacob." He turned and walked around the corner, making sure the hall ahead was clear.

"Alright," said Jacob. "We work for an organization known as Cerberus."

Jacob was prepared for several reactions. Curious acceptance was one. Overt hostility and anger was another. Confusion and disbelief was one more option.

What he was not prepared for was Shepard raising his handgun and planting five shots straight into his chest.


	17. Doesn't Know Kung Fu

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 17~

Wilson heard the gunshots and grinned. Served the guy right. He'd read through Shepard's psyche profile, noting how he had acted when exposed to Cerberus in the past. Obviously, Jacob hadn't bothered to do the same.

"Shepard?" Wilson called around the corner. "Before you do something you'll regret, listen to me! I'm a deep cover operative for the Shadow Broker! I hacked the mechs! We're here to get you out!"

Shepard, who was creeping toward the hallway with the intent of gunning down Wilson as well, stopped. "How can I trust you? You betrayed Cerberus easily enough. How do I know you won't betray me, too?"

Wilson sighed. "I've never been on their side. Not really. I'm here to help you, Shepard. If you'll notice, I programmed the mechs to not fire at you."

Shepard hesitated, but then lowered his pistol and stepped around the corner. "Alright, Wilson. You seem like you're being honest with me. But I'm watching you. The Shadow Broker isn't exactly the most benevolent person to be working for."

"Yeah," Wilson snorted. "He was a bit pissed at you for not giving him that data you recovered while you were after Saren. You're lucky he sent me to get you. Come on. Our recovery team landed in the shuttle bay, we can meet up with them there."

Shepard nodded and followed the doctor down the hall.

* * *

Samuels clicked a button, causing the holographic display to vanish from above the conference table. "Any last-minute questions before I send you on your way?"

The table was littered with data pads, all of which were loaded with highly classified information. Ashley sat, nursing a mug of coffee that had been delivered to the room half an hour ago. Kaidan's mug was already empty, and he shook his head.

"I think we get the gist of it, Major."

Samuels smiled. "Very good. Make sure you have that information memorized by Wednesday. And come dressed your very best!"

"Dressed?" asked Ashley. "Wait, nobody said anything about-"

"Too late!" said Samuels with a laugh. "Oh, come on. It's not that bad. It's a high-class societal occasion. It'll humble up two frontline fighters like you, real quick. Just don't forget your mission, and make sure you watch everyone and everything carefully. We only have rough estimates what their information network is like."

"Right. They could have agents in the top levels of the Alliance, don't trust anyone but each other, lives are at stake yadda yadda yaddah. We get it. We'll be ready." Ash smiled. "I'll even dig up a little feminine charm for this one."

"Good to hear," said Samuels.

* * *

Jacob gasped, staggering over to the medical station on the wall. He tapped into his radio. "Miranda! You there, Miranda? Answer me, dammit!"

It took a few seconds, but eventually, Miranda responded. "_Jacob? What's going on? Are you headed for the shuttle bay?"_

Jacob winced as he applied the medi-gel to the wounds in his chest. "I screwed up, Miranda. Real bad. I told Shepard that we were Cerberus."

"_You what!?"_ Miranda groaned. "_What happened?_"

"Shepard didn't even say anything or give me a chance to explain. He just turned on me and emptied his clip into my chest. Luckily I was able to play dead long enough for him to leave, and there's a medi-gel dispenser right here. I'll live. Where are you?"

"_I'm working my way to the shuttle bay,"_ Miranda responded. "_You can meet up with-oh bollocks._" The sound of gunfire rang out.

"Miranda? What's going on?"

"_S***_," hissed Miranda. "_The hacked mechs aren't our only problem. We've got at least a dozen mercenaries in the station, probably more in the other hallways. I don't recognize their armor coloring. Stick to our plan. We'll meet up in the shuttle bay, and try to sneak a shuttle away. Be careful."_

"Roger that, Miranda. Taylor out." The pain slowly faded, and Jacob worked himself to his feet. Things had suddenly become a lot more complicated.

* * *

Cord-Hislop Aerospace's fiftieth anniversary special celebratory event was quite… refined. Their Chicago headquarters' lobby and lower floors had been cleared out and decorated. Tables had been set out, now covered with tech samples and promotional hologram projectors. More than a hundred guests wandered about, engaging in polite discussion and sipping prohibitively expensive wine, being served by automated drones.

Ashley Williams felt very out of place. Her long, asari-style dress stretched all the way down to her shoes. It was blue with cyan highlights, and she was only grateful that Samuels hadn't gotten her something with more vivacious colors. On her arm was a small, tan-colored leather handbag, which, in her opinion, was far too 'girly.' She turned to her companion.

"I swear, L-T," she grumbled. "How do people stand wearing these types of things? How am I even supposed to walk around in these shoes? I feel like I'm wearing stilts here. And I can't even move my legs more than two feet apart or this ridiculous dress makes me trip."

"Aww, come on," said Kaidan. "It's the latest fashion. And you look great! You should wear this kind of stuff more often." He snagged a wine glass from a passing service drone and took a sip. "Mmm. These people sure know how to choose their liquor."

Ashley sighed. "Well, if you're done admiring their tastes, maybe we could just get our mission done and go home? You've got that nice, cozy, comfortable-to-walk-around-in outfit, but me…"

Kaidan smiled. "What? Don't want to stay awhile? Soak in the atmosphere?"

She gave him a slight shove and led them towards the elevators.

* * *

Hearing the sound of armored footsteps, Shepard held out an arm, bringing the two of them to a halt. "Quiet," he whispered to Wilson. "Someone's coming."

Wilson peeked around the corner, and then chuckled. "It's my buddies, Shepard. Come on." He stood from cover and walked out into the hall.

Before them was a squad of mercenary soldiers, wielding various weapons and all were wearing the same gray armor. One of them raised a hand to his helmet, activating his radio. "Hammer? We've found them."

After undoubtedly receiving a response from 'Hammer,' the merc nodded and waved to them. "Alright, you two. Head back down this hallway. Someone's coming who you'll want to see."

Shepard raised an eyebrow and then followed the merc's directions.

* * *

Before they reached the elevator, it dinged, and the door opened. Inside was a man they had not expected to see.

"Udina?" Ashley said, surprised. "Didn't expect to see you here."

Ambassador Udina blinked. "Chief Williams, isn't it? And Lieutenant Alenko as well. Honestly, I'm surprised to see the two of you here. Weren't you reassigned?"

"That's right, Ambassador," Kaidan said smoothly. "But the Brass wanted to have someone attending this event. Cord-Hislop is our biggest hull supplier. They decided that we might as well come here while Logistics finds a new spot for us." It was their _official_ cover story.

Ashley nodded. Udina hadn't exactly been polite to the Normandy crew in the past, and she saw no reason to let him in on their mission. Speaking of which… why was the Ambassador here? And coming out of the elevator to the upper floors?

She almost opened her mouth to ask, but decided that they didn't need any more suspicion directed at them.

"I see," Udina said slowly. "Well. I must be off then." He walked off to rejoin the party.

Hoping to avoid any more unwanted confrontations, the two of them quickly walked into the elevator and selected the floor they were headed for: 27. The doors slid shut, and there was a slight bump as the elevator car accelerated.

"Whew," Ashley breathed. "That guy always gives me the creeps. I wonder what he was doing on the upper floors."

Kaidan could only shrug.

* * *

"Shepard?" Liara whispered. She blinked several times, making sure her eyes were not deceiving her.

"Liara?" Shepard said, confused.

Liara rushed forwards and hugged her friend. "I knew," she whispered, tearing up slightly. "I told the Council you were alive, but they wouldn't listen. No one would listen."

Shepard returned the hug warmly.

"Well, not quite 'no one.'" Garrus rounded the corner. "Some of us were mad enough to believe you. I'm probably not quite as good for hugging though. My armor's got sharp corners and-"

Shepard sighed. "Oh, stop whining, you big spiky turkey," he said, hugging his tall turian buddy as well.

When they finally broke their hugs, Shepard had a few questions. "As glad as I am to see you, why are you here? Isn't this a Shadow Broker operation? How did you get involved?"

Liara hooked an arm around his shoulder and guided him towards the shuttle bay. "It's a long story. It turns out my mother had more contacts than I thought, and one of them was the Shadow Broker. The Broker contacted me at the estate on Thessia."

Garrus nodded. "Most of the team has broken up. The Alliance crew got reassigned to different places, Tali returned to the flotilla, Wrex went back to Tuchanka… I was the only one Liara could get a hold of. When I heard you might be alive, I came as quickly as I could."

Shepard smiled. "Thanks. Both of you. And who's this?"

Vasir, standing slightly behind the two others, stepped forwards. "Nice to meet you, Commander Shepard. I'm Tela Vasir. Council Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch, like you."

Shepard shook her hand. "Spectre? Huh. How are you involved in this?"

Before she could respond, a voice came through her radio. "_Hammer? This is Team One. We've got some movement over here in D-Wing. They're being quick and quiet. Whoever it is, I think they're trying to sneak around us to the shuttle bay. You might need to head over there."_

"I copy, Team One." She sighed. "I'll explain later. Let's head back to the shuttle bay. With you recovered, these mercenary mooks should be able to take care of the rest."

Shepard nodded. "Any chance someone here's got spare armor laying around?"

Vasir chuckled. "Relax, Shepard. Let me handle this one."

* * *

Miranda ducked behind a crate. The shuttle bay looked clear, but she wasn't taking any chances. She glanced over her shoulder and waved Jacob over.

"Alright," she said quietly. "Shuttle is right in that room over there. The area looks clear, but it's very open and there are multiple entrances. I'll go first; you follow a few seconds behind me."

Jacob nodded, and Miranda broke from cover, dashing madly towards the shuttles.

Before she reached them, one of the doors across the room slid open, revealing an unfamiliar asari wearing blue armor. She was holding a high-end assault rifle, aiming it carefully.

"Miranda!" Jacob shouted. Miranda dove behind a railing a split second before the asari opened fire, the bullets whizzing over her head. Jacob popped out from behind the crate, firing his pistol at the asari. He was very accurate, but the shots had almost no effect, causing just ripples in the asari's biotic barrier.

"Damn," Jacob cursed, ducking back behind the crate as the asari turned her gun on him. "Her barrier's tough. You alright, Miranda?"

Miranda nodded and started to reply, but was cut off as the asari suddenly vanished, speeding across the room in a flash of blue biotics, phasing straight through her cover and slamming into her.

Miranda staggered backwards, surprised, raising her pistol and firing at the mysterious asari. Her bullets seemed futile however, being easily deflected by her assailant's barrier, which still held strong. The asari pulled her arm back, and it lit up in a blue haze before releasing a pulsating burst of biotic force.

It was too close for Miranda to avoid, and she was caught in it. It threw her backwards into the wall, and she grunted in pain as she felt several bones break. The asari walked towards her, raising her rifle…

But from behind, a blast of concussive force hit her, making the asari stumble. "Hey!" Jacob called. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

The asari sighed, perhaps with annoyance, before firing five rounds into Miranda's leg and turning back to Jacob.

"B****," Miranda hissed, applying medi-gel to herself and trying to stand. "Not killing me, but shooting me in the leg? What the h*** is she playing at?"

Jacob fired round after round into the approaching asari. He knew that barriers couldn't last forever, and the asari still had a lot of ground to cover before she reached him. But then she vanished again, charging at him in a flare of biotic power. She rematerialized on the floor right next to him.

He swung a punch at her, but she twisted fluidly out of its way and grabbed his arm. Before Jacob realized what was happening, she had flared with biotic blue and he was flung across the room into a wall. His shoulder hit it with a solid crack. Thankfully, he was now right next to Miranda, and very close to the shuttles.

Miranda helped him to his feet as she fired at the asari with her sidearm. The asari, whose barriers had probably taken a beating by now, finally decided to take cover as Miranda's gunfire zipped through the space around her.

The two of them hastily clambered into a shuttle. As fast as they could, they sealed the door shut and set a course away from the station.

Miranda heaved a breath. "That was a close one."

"You can say that again," Jacob agreed. Then he winced and clutched his chest. "But if I don't get to a doctor soon, I'm gonna start bleeding again from all these holes in my body."

* * *

Shepard crossed his arms, frowning. "You _let_ them get away. Why'd you do that?"

"It was that easy to tell, was it?" Vasir grinned. "You're right. I did let them get away. But we attached tracking devices to all of the shuttles in there. They could lead us straight to another facility."

"You should have killed _one_ of them," Shepard grumbled.

"Shepard," Liara said, admonishingly.

Vasir raised an eyebrow. "You really don't like these guys, do you? What exactly did they do to you?"

"They're called Cerberus," Shepard said. "And it's not about what they did to me. It's about what they did to everyone else. What they _do_ to everyone else."

Garrus patted him on the shoulder. "We'll get them, Shepard. Now that you're back, maybe we can finally get some things done. About the Reapers, about Cerberus… Let's get back to the _Iadantor_. We can talk about it on our ride to the Citadel. I'm sure the Council will be delighted to see you alive and kicking."

* * *

"_Do you have any idea,_" Sparatus's hologram spat, "_what a diplomatic and political nightmare this is? We've broadcast to the entire galaxy that you're dead, and now you show up from-_"

Shepard slapped the disconnect button. "Oops," he said gleefully. "Finger slipped."

Vasir leaned back. "I like your style," she said.

Liara chuckled. "Don't we all."

"But," Vasir continued, "you do realize this means you'll have to actually go up to the Tower to talk to them, right?"

"Right," Shepard said. "The place that Saren shot up because they didn't listen to me. You think they'll pay attention to me now?"

"Nah," Garrus drawled. "They'll probably just suspect you've been turned into a mutant clone Shepard by a terrorist organization and send you out to do meaningless patrols in the Terminus Systems."

"Don't even joke about that," Shepard warned. "I'm reasonably certain I'm not a robot or a clone, but it'd be nice to have Chakwas take a look at me. How's the crew doing, by the way?"

"Most of the Alliance crew got temporarily transferred to various ships until the Normandy is fixed, which I think has almost been finished. Ashley and Kaidan got some kind of special assignment, though. Not sure where they are now."

"Special assignment, huh?" Shepard mused. "Well, good for them. If I get the Normandy back, though, it'll be a shame not having them onboard. I'll miss them. So, the Shadow Broker's just going to let me go? Not even a demand for money? Or some obscure job for me to do?"

"Well, everything comes with a price," Vasir answered. "If I were to guess, he'd consider this a favor and expect you to grant him one in return, at some unspecified place and time in the future. Favors can be worth a lot more than most people would think. Plus, it's not like the whole point of this mission was to get you back. There's plenty of data on that station that he's getting his hands on. Who knows what he might know about Cerberus now."

"Or about the Alliance," Garrus noted. "Cerberus used to be a top-secret Alliance authorized black-op, right?"

"Or about you," Liara muttered. "They fixed you up. That station had to have some sort of medical records on you…"

* * *

The elevator VI chirped._ "Now arriving at Level Twenty-Seven: Administration and Record-Keeping."_ The elevator doors slid open.

They walked out. Facing them was a glass wall with a sliding glass door in the middle. To its left was a small locking device, evidently designed to open the door when an authorized employee presented an identification card.

Kaidan went to work with his omni-tool, breaking the encryption easily. The doors slid open for them.

The two had memorized the floor's layout in the days before, letting them easily navigate the hallways. They made their way to an executive office near the center of the building. Ashley whistled as the doors automatically opened for them.

"This is what a rich person's_ workplace_ looks like? What the heck do they put in their _houses_?"

Kaidan had to agree. Directly in front of them, in the middle of the room, was an exquisite desk made of real wood. It was a deep brown color, and the carvings in it were too numerous to count. It stood on a patterned rug, undoubtedly of real fur, that had symmetrical painted spirals branching out in all directions from the room's center. The walls were covered with large display panels, simulating an outside view even though the room was on the interior of the building. Lining the walls were potted plants from all over Earth. He recognized a young pine tree, an odd knotted Asian tree of some sort, and… was that a Venus flytrap? A simulated cloud drifted by on the wall behind it.

He shook his head and walked forwards, using his omni-tool to access the terminal on the desk. Ashley tossed her handbag onto the desk and peeked outside the office to make sure no one was around. Most likely, everyone was down in the lobby enjoying the party, but you could never be too sure.

"Big surprise," Kaidan muttered. "The encryption's better than it was on the door. I should be able to get in, but it'll take quite a bit longer."

Suddenly, a klaxon alarm began to blare. Ashley turned. "What happened?"

Kaidan cursed under his breath. "Dammit. The alarm got auto-triggered when I tried to access high-tier data. There's no way to shut it off. We'll have to grab what we can and then go. It's local to just this level, so hopefully there aren't too many security guards around. Keep watching the door."

Ashley groaned. "I knew this was too easy." She walked over and reached into her handbag, pulling out a small pistol. She then retrieved a complicated prototype module and screwed it unto the front, enabling the weapon to fire low velocity non-lethal tranquilizer pellets. "Well, at least this means I might get to shoot someone."

* * *

"Admiral Gerrel?"

Han'Gerrel vas Neema turned to face the young man. "Greetings, Reegar. What do you have to report?"

Kal'Reegar saluted. "The _Ingydra,_ the scout ship you sent out last week? It just reported back from the Dholen system. They've got images you'll want to see. From what I've heard, it looks like the geth have developed some kind of new technology. I'm no engineer, but it didn't look like any kind of geth device I've seen before. They're doing an analysis on the _Moreh_."

Gerrel scratched his chin thoughtfully. "New geth technology? A weapon, perhaps? Hmm. Very well. Lead the way."

The two quarians walked off through the crowded halls of the _Rayya_, not knowing that their actions in the next few minutes would change the galaxy forever…

* * *

Author's Note:_ Ingydra_ is pronounced in-guy-druh.

Also, please note that though events seem to be coinciding with ME2's storyline, that two year time skip has not happened. This is less than a month after the Battle of the Citadel.


	18. Blasphemy!

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 18~

_Westerlund News Information Partners_

_November 24__th__, 2183_

_Corporate Event Goes Awry_

_By Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani_

_Chicago, Earth - Eyewitness reports have cast suspicion that one of the Alliance's largest contractors could be a victim of industrial espionage. _

_Two days ago was the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the company we now know as Cord-Hislop Aerospace. Cord-Hislop, as you very well know, is the Alliance's primary supplier of starship components. Their innovations over the years have been one of the major factors in the Alliance's colonial successes and technological advances. _

_During the celebration, an alarm was triggered in the sealed upper floors of their headquarters building. Cord-Hislop has released an official statement, explaining that this was caused by a simple malfunction in their computer mainframe. _

_However, their claims seem to be contradicted by the reports of several of the party's attendees. When interviewed, they recall seeing security guards on alert, some of them hurrying towards the building's upper levels. In fact, one security guard was found by party guests unconscious, lying on the floor near the building's rear exit._

_When called out on this, Cord-Hislop representatives refused to comment. Could Alliance defense secrets have been exposed to enemies of humanity? _

_An Alliance representative, Admiral Steven Hackett, was approached with this question. His reply? "One company that supplies us got robbed by another company that supplies us. It's unfortunate, and the perpetrators should be brought to justice, but in the end, the security of the Alliance has not been compromised."_

_A few weeks wait is sure to verify or refute these words._

* * *

Shepard shifted uneasily. "Is this really necessary? I feel fine."

Chakwas sighed. "Will you just hold still, please? The scan will be much faster if you are not moving. And just ten minutes ago you were barging into the hospital, worried that Cerberus might have turned you into a mutant zombie cyborg."

"Well, once your preliminary test revealed that I wasn't in fact a mutant zombie cyborg, I was perfectly okay!" he said.

"Oh, stop whining," Chakwas scolded. "Just because you're still you doesn't mean that you don't have a few bits and pieces inside you that could cause you harm. I got transferred here all the way from Mars because of you, you stubborn little brat. Now stop twitching so this scan is accurate."

Shepard grumbled something unintelligible and turned to stare out the window.

It was quite a view to be honest. Huerta Memorial Hospital was very nicely situated, in one of the bridges that spanned over the Presidium. Even after Sovereign's attack, it was a calming vista. Trees and grass still stood, water gushed out of the lake's fountains, and cleanup crews dashed about like ants, patching bullet holes and washing away scorch marks.

In a few weeks, it'd be like nothing had even happened.

Shepard hated that. They needed people to know: to know that the Reapers were indeed coming. People needed to prepare. Nice, clean, undamaged surroundings weren't going to help.

He sighed. What they needed, more than anything, was a plan. Some sort of strategy to defeat the millennia-old fleet of nigh-indestructible sentient starships that was bearing down on them. He crossed his arms, deep in thought.

"Will you stop that?" Chakwas growled. "I'm trying to help you, here."

* * *

:/CONSENSUS DOWNLINK:/…Loading…Loading…Established.

:/Downloading Revised Encryption Protocols…working…working…working…Completed.

KEY:/16896928af1359

:/ESTIMATING LIGHT LAG:/processing…processing…Completed.

:/CONSENSUS_OBSERVATION_GENERAL_REPORT:/…Organics perceive us as a threat. Closer observation required. Old Machine intervention has caused failure of consensus integrity.

:/OBJECTIVE:/Further observation of organic thought patterns.

:/ANALYSIS:/LCDR_SHEPARD was primary cause of deactivation of ASCENDED_NAZARA.

:/COMMAND:/Gestalt Consciousness for Observation of Organics Required…:/ANALYSIS:/Consensus Override Functionality Necessary.

:/STATUS:/SUCCESS:/1,183 Programs Isolated…

:/STATUS:/SUCCESS:/CONFIRMED:/Independent Observatory Unit Dispatched.

:/DOWNLINK:/STATUS:/SEVERED…Connection Lost…

* * *

The _Ingydra_, now loaded with a squad of Migrant Fleet Marines and a science team of twelve, descended into the atmosphere of Haestrom. It landed about a kilometer away from the mysterious geth devices that it had spotted the week before, in the ruins of the old quarian colony.

The hatch opened, the ramp lowered, and the marine squad quickly rushed out, securing the landing area. No geth were around, but the world was in geth space, and they weren't exactly being stealthy.

"All clear," reported Kal'Reegar, the squad's leader. He turned to look up at the sun, his helmet's faceplate automatically darkening to help shield his eyes. The colony that had once been on this world had been there to observe Dholen, the system's star. It had been unstable and showing signs of premature collapse. Their estimates, based on data from nearly three hundred years ago, said that by now, Haestrom's protective magnetosphere would have been overwhelmed by the sun's extreme radiation. But his suit's electronics were functioning just fine. Perhaps those ancient measurements were off?

He shrugged, and then turned to face the lead member of the science team. "Ma'am? The area's all clear. The geth devices are about a kilometer in this direction."

Tali'Zorah vas Neema stepped off the _Ingydra_'s ramp, looking curiously at the star above them. "Thank you, Kal'Reegar. Let's go figure out what they're doing here."

Reegar nodded. The young woman before him was somewhat of a legend. Apparently, she had spent her pilgrimage running about the galaxy with a human commander, taking down hundreds of geth along the way. She'd probably killed more geth than his entire marine team combined.

"You heard her," he barked into his suit radio. "Let's get a move on. The radiation may not be enough to fry our shields, but it's certainly jamming up our sensors. I suspect the geth won't have left their tech completely unguarded, so be on alert at all times."

The marines responded with a string of affirmatives, and they proceeded through the dilapidated ruins of a world their race once owned.

* * *

"Hmmmm," Chakwas mused.

"Hmm?" grumbled Shepard. "That's not good. I was hoping for an 'ok, you're in perfect health.' Or maybe a 'darn, you actually are a mutant zombie cyborg.' What is 'Hmmmm' supposed to mean?"

Chakwas handed him a data pad. "Take a look. You're mostly still you, but in a few places, they've inserted quite advanced cybernetics. I think I've read research papers on this sort of stuff. Normally I'd immediately have them yanked out of you for study, but after taking a closer look, they don't seem to be causing you any harm. I don't see the need to."

Shepard scratched his head. "Okay. Now what's this little square thing that it says is in my head?"

Chakwas drew a sharp breath. "That… that's the bad news. We don't know."

"What?" spluttered Shepard, "You don't know? I've got some weird square thing in my brain, and you have no idea what it does?"

Chakwas nodded gravely. "It doesn't match up with any kind of medical device I've seen before. It'd be hard, but doable, to take it out without causing damage. It's a risk, though. And everywhere else, Cerberus seems to have known what they were doing, so I don't want to risk cutting up your brain until we have a bit more information on why that thing is in there."

Shepard groaned. "Great. Just great. You're not, uh, going to tell the Council about this, are you? They'll go nuts and say I'm being mind-controlled."

"Actually, I considered that as a possibility. But the device isn't emitting any kind of signals, and your brain seems to be working just as it should. And your winning personality certainly hasn't changed at all." Chakwas winked. "Don't worry about the Council. Doctor-patient confidentiality, right?"

* * *

Samuels smiled. "Nice work. The media's eating up the cover story like catnip."

"Catnip?" Ashley chortled. "Samuels, you either have too much experience making similes, or too little."

"I'm gonna go ahead and say too little," Samuels responded. "Anyways, we looked through the data you managed to obtain. Surprise surprise, we found something odd."

"What is it?" asked Kaidan.

"Their production records were quite telling. Their primary records had nothing out of the ordinary, but the secondary records, the ones only the highest executive tiers of their company can access, showed that ship hulls were going missing. Fighters, frigates, all the way up to even a few cruisers."

"Cruisers?" Kaidan frowned. "They just lost track of ships worth hundreds of millions of credits? How?"

"'Lost track,'" snorted Ashley. "Yeah, right."

Samuels nodded. "We can only assume that they went somewhere. This could mean that the organization we're tracking has far more resources than we originally thought. They could have a bigger fleet than the volus at this point. And that's not all."

Ashley leaned forwards. "What else?"

Samuels tossed a data pad unto the table. Kaidan reached forwards to pick it up, and Ashley looked over his shoulder.

On it was a set of blueprints. Blueprints for a ship design that was very familiar to both of them. It was labeled 'SR-2.'

"What is this?" asked Kaidan. "The design specifications for Normandy-class frigates? I don't recall Cord-Hislop being contracted to build those. How'd they get their hands on this?"

"We can only guess," Samuels replied. "You're right. The construction of Normandy-class frigates is being overseen by a completely separate contractor, and much of their interior design came from turian engineers. Cord-Hislop had nothing to do with it. And this blueprint isn't just the design of the base Normandy-class. It's different. Numerous advancements in the drive core, fuel cells, and weapons layout. They must have had their engineers working on this."

Ashley took a breath. "What does this mean?"

"The Alliance never contracted Cord-Hislop to build us anything like this," Samuels answered. "They weren't even supposed to have the Normandy-class's blueprints. And this version is far more advanced. If they're connected to the organization we're tracking…"

Ashley shuddered. Terrorists having more advanced warships than the Alliance navy? This could be bad.

Samuels pulled out another data pad. "From the data you pulled, we managed to extrapolate several routes that Cord-Hislop is using to ship components. They go quite deep into the Traverse. Some of them even go into the Terminus Systems. They're our best lead so far. The two of you will be deployed to a colony out there, officially to act as liaisons and defend against pirates or slavers. However, your primary goal remains the same: find out what you can about this group. We need numbers: manpower, resources, locations. Get this information however you can."

"We're on it, Major," Kaidan said. "Where exactly are we going?"

Samuels leaned back. "Ever heard of a world called Horizon?"

* * *

_**Events have progressed faster than anticipated.**_

_**Our parameters have changed. Our goal has not.**_

_**The chaos still spreads. The darkness must be stopped.**_

_**They will ascend. It is their genetic destiny. And then they will be the guardians of eternity.**_

_**The collection must begin, far earlier than planned, for the dark advances. It waits for no one.**_

Freedom's Progress was a small human colony in the Attican Traverse, completely ordinary in every way. So, when their communications link to the greater galaxy cut off suddenly, it was passed off as a simple malfunction that would be fixed in a few hours. A few days, at most. But that would not be the case.

A bulky, massive, cylindrical ship, resembling a metallic tube encased within jagged rock, descended towards the colony, unchallenged. And in just a few hours, every human inhabitant of the colony would be gone without a trace.


	19. Ghost Chase

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 19~

Shepard stepped out of the elevator and turned. Before him, the _Normandy_ gleamed, even in the dim lights of the docking bay. He put his hands on his hips and grinned.

Liara walked up beside him, leaning on the railing. "It looks just like new. You should have seen her after the battle. It wasn't pretty."

"I'll bet," Garrus said. "She's a tough girl, isn't she?"

Shepard nodded and proceeded into the airlock.

_Officially, we cannot acknowledge the Reaper threat. At this point, it would only cause mass panic and confusion. We have next to no solid information on them._

Joker turned in his seat. "Hey, Commander! Nice to see you alive!"

_Unofficially, however, we are worried. The evidence you have presented, while limited, has certain aspects that are irrefutable._

Shepard smiled. "Joker! I should have expected you'd be here. Who else is back?"

"Just about everyone," Joker reported. "We took no casualties during the battle. Oh, by the way, I'm still waiting on my medal for that. Did you see how many shots I dodged? Shoom!"

_Your medical reports are clean, and your personality remains very much intact. Hence, effective immediately, you are returned to active duty as a member of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch._

Shepard sighed. "I'll see what I can do. But officially, the Reapers still don't exist. The Council still thinks burying it all is a good idea. They don't want unnecessary panic."

Joker snorted. "Yeah. We'll wait until they actually get here. See how much panic it'll cause _then_."

_The Normandy has just been released from dry-dock, its repairs completed. You have our authorization to assume its command. Your mission is to investigate the Reaper threat. Determine if it indeed exists, and if so, find ways to stop it. _

Shepard leaned on a bulkhead in the cockpit. Behind him, Garrus took up a relaxed stance with his arms crossed. Liara walked forwards and took a seat in the sensor station's chair. The four friends waited there in silence for authorization to leave port.

_I imagine you will want to travel to Ilos. An untouched Prothean world? We would send a science team there if it weren't so far into the Terminus Systems. At any rate, if the Reapers exist you should find a great deal of evidence on them there. We wish you luck, Commander._

"I'll miss those that aren't coming with us," Shepard said after awhile. "Who knows how long this mission will last."

"Yeah," Joker sighed. "But at any rate… It's good to be home, huh, Commander?"

Garrus chuckled. "Damn right."

* * *

"Operative Lawson? What do you have to report?"

"Three things. Firstly, early warning sensors have picked up something," the hologram said. "There's a ship heading for Minuteman Station."

The man in the chair paused, watching the surface of Anadius ripple. He took a deep draw from his cigar.

"Whose?"

"IFF registers it as a civilian cargo freighter, the MSV _Iadantor_. But there are no destinations near Minuteman where a cargo vessel would be travelling to, and the ship is making a beeline straight for the station."

The man sighed. "Very well. We must have had an information leak somewhere. Prepare the SR-2 for launch. Let's see what it can do. What else?"

The hologram nodded. "An Alliance survey unit just finished their report on Klendagon. I think you will want to see the results."

The report appeared in the air before him, scrolling automatically as he read.

A smile began to spread over his face. "Excellent. Deploy a search team to that sector as soon as possible. This may be the break we have been looking for. And the third matter that needs my attention?"

The hologram took a breath. "The colonies of Cyrene, Freedom's Progress, and Ferris Fields all suddenly ceased all communications this past week. The Alliance hasn't pieced together a pattern yet, but I suspect something is going on."

The man nodded. "Ensure that the reports of the disappearances are buried. If the Alliance gets there before our teams do, evidence will be harder to find. Once Minuteman is secure, you'll lead Lazarus Cell and investigate."

"Understood," the hologram said, and then faded away.

* * *

"Everyone, into the shuttles!" shouted Tazzik. "We're almost there." He scratched his horns. One of the Shadow Broker's most trusted salarian agents, Tazzik stood at far above average salarian height, his face rugged and wrinkled from combat experience.

The _Iadantor_'s hidden hanger doors opened, and the mercenaries filed into their assault shuttles. Tazzik smiled. Their current task was quite different from what the Broker normally asked him to do. He would take down these human bigots with a smile on his face. He reached down to retrieve his custom grenade launcher and moved to board his shuttle.

Suddenly, the ship shook, and the shuttle bay's lights flickered. Tazzik growled, tapping into his radio. "Helm! What the h*** is going on?"

His batarian pilot responded in a somewhat panicked tone. "I don't know! A mass accelerator shot just came out of nowhere. Sensors aren't showing any signs of other ships in the area!"

Tazzik cursed. "They must have stealth systems! Launch the shuttles now! Go, go!"

But before any of the shuttles had powered up, a torpedo streaked out of the black, slamming into the shuttle bay and killing the entire strike team in an instant.

* * *

Kal'Reegar folded his assault rifle and stowed it on his back. "Alright. We've reached our target. Everyone stay alert. Just because we haven't seen any geth yet doesn't mean they're not here."

The marines spread out to guard the perimeter, and a few members of the science team moved forwards to examine the device.

"Keelah," one of them whispered. "What is that?"

The device was composed of numerous tendrils of purple-grey metal, bent and curved in a sort of helix around one another. Faint blue lights shone from within them. Suspended by them was a mysterious ball of blue and white energy, close to three meters in diameter, which sparkled and gave off a slight hum.

The scientist stepped forwards, touching one of the metal tendrils. The device suddenly sent out a pulse of blue light, making the scientist stagger back. The rest of the team murmured to each other, raising their omni-tools to take measurements.

Tali'Zorah, standing quite far back from the others, felt her stomach begin to turn. "Oh, no," she whispered. "This is not good."

* * *

Kalus Enrix, a turian resident of Omega, sighed, leaning against the cool metal wall of the alleyway. The faint orange light that permeated Omega Station was all there was to see by. He sighed again, his mandibles twitching nervously. This job would get him enough money to find him something respectable to do. He had been contacted by a complete stranger, asking for him to act as a representative in a meeting. The pay had been outrageously good for such a job, and he'd jumped at the opportunity. But he was worried there might be a catch.

He saw movement at the entrance to the alley, and straightened himself. A group of four entered the alley.

He squinted, trying to make out what species they were, and quickly realized that he didn't recognize it. They had large, bulbous, triangular heads with four slightly glowing eyes. They wore no clothing, but their entire bodies were covered with odd brown chitinous plating. Two of them carried between them a large crate. The other two cradled in their arms odd devices which looked to be made of the same material as their bodies. He quickly deduced they were weapons of some sort.

Swallowing his fear, he stepped forwards. "Hello there. Have you brought the requested items?"

One of the creatures turned, gesturing with his insect-like arm. The crate was opened. Inside, neatly arranged in rows, was about a dozen of the same weapons the creatures themselves were carrying.

The creature before him leaned in, dropping his own and taking one out. He turned it towards the alley wall and depressed some sort of trigger.

A beam of brilliant yellow shot forth, carving into the solid metal wall with astonishing speed. Enrix's jaw dropped as the beam faded. In less than two seconds, the beam had burned a hole in the alloy nearly a foot deep.

He nodded. "Very well. My employer will provide you what you have requested. Good doing business with you."

The creature nodded, and the four of them departed, leaving the crate of exotic weapons behind. Enrix was tempted to just take the crate and run off, but he suspected that the person who was paying him would have no qualms with tracking him down and killing him to get the technology back.

He sighed and tapped into his omni-tool, racking his head to remember the code phrases he had been given.

"…Watchers do not simply chase, they are," he finished, and he was linked in. "I obtained the shipment for you. You had better have been honest with me about my payment."

The modulated voice replied. "Well done, Enrix. However, I am afraid you will not be receiving your payment today. This is far too sensitive a matter for knowledge of it to be publicly available on the streets of Omega. Thank you for your service."

The call cut off. Before Enrix had time to wonder what that meant, a sniper's bullet whistled out from the darkness, shattering his skull and silencing him forever.

* * *

The _Normandy_ entered the Refuge system with a flash, stealth systems active, and rapidly accelerated towards Ilos. Unbeknownst to its crew, two ships followed.

* * *

:/PARAMETER:/Achieve contact with organics through LCDR_SHEPARD.

:/DATA:/Patterns obtained through monitoring of non-secure Council channels

:/DATA:/Minimally Invasive Hacking into secure SPECIAL_TACTICS_RECONAISSANCE databases

:/EXTRAPOLATION:/Current location of LCDR_SHEPARD is at PANGEA-EXPANSE_REFUGE_ILOS

:/UNIT:/ID:1678_D98:/STATUS:/DISPATCHED

* * *

_**The cycle has repeated itself more times than you can imagine.**_

_**But we are eternal.**_

_**This cycle has deviated. This deviation must be corrected, or the darkness will continue to spread.**_

_**Shepard is the cause of the deviation. Find me Shepard. Shepard must be eliminated. **_

_**Ilos. Shepard will be at Ilos. There is no other possible conclusion.**_

_**Assuming direct control.**_


	20. Keelah Se'lai

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 20~

"We shouldn't be doing this. This artifact is too dangerous." Tali spoke frantically. "We need to back off, quarantine this area, and maybe even destroy the thing from orbit."

One of the other scientists, Purah'Otunn, lowered his omni-tool and turned on her. "Are you mad? This is a piece of technology with advancements we've never seen before in the geth! Who knows what we could learn about them from this? Besides, it's just sitting here." He stepped towards the device.

Tali quickly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "No! Don't get any closer!"

Purah'Otunn crossed his arms. "Tali'Zorah, you are acting rather strangely. Do you have an infection? Did the ride down knock your helmet around? You may have experience dealing with the geth, and you may be an excellent engineer, but this is a research expedition."

He walked back towards the twisted device, still pulsating with odd blue light.

"No, you idiot," she hissed. "It's not a geth device. It's a _Reaper_ device. And the longer we stick around here, the more likely it is we'll all be indoctrinated."

"We'll be careful," Otunn assured her. "A Reaper device, you say? Like Sovereign? All the more reason to study it! Imagine what we might learn!"

"Listen, you bosh'tet," Tali said slowly. "We. Have. To. Leave."

The man sighed. "As experienced as you claim to be, you only just came back from your pilgrimage. We've been studying geth technology almost as long as you've been alive, girl. Step back and let us real scientists do our jobs."

Tali turned and stormed angrily away.

Purah'Otunn vas Helgafjell looked up at the pulsating ball of blue and white. _How pretty it was…_

* * *

:/CONSENSUS UPLINK:/…Loading…Loading…Established.

:/ANALYSIS:/Creators tampering with DEVICE_ID:/932

:/ANALYSIS:/Tampering will result in spatial-temporal instability

:/COMMAND:/Halt tampering. Lethal force authorized.

:/EXCEPTION:/Will cause conflict with primary consensus:/Primary consensus does not desire conflict with Creators

:/MANUAL_OVERRIDE:/Primary Consensus Irrelevant. Tampering will not be tolerated.

:/USER_ID:/ASCENDED_HARBINGER

:/UNIT:/ID:136_D10:/STATUS:/DISPATCHED

:/UPLINK:/STATUS:/SEVERED…Connection Lost…

* * *

The _Normandy_ glided gracefully down between the ruined buildings, and its ramp lowered, allowing Shepard's team to hop out.

Once they were on the ground, the ship lifted away back into orbit.

"Alright," Shepard said. "Sensors said the geth presence is gone, but they've been wrong before. Everyone stay alert. The Conduit is about two clicks away, but I suspect there'll be plenty to study before we get there…"

Garrus examined the surroundings through his visor. "Weird colored plants, cracked stone, and warped metal," he noted. "Are you sure we didn't land in the same place as last time?"

Liara already had her omni-tool raised, taking in the ruins around them in awe. "This is truly amazing, Shepard," she said. "These must be some of the most well-preserved Prothean ruins in existence. We must get the Council to send a full team at some point, regardless of the possible political blowback from the Terminus Systems. There's too much here for just one ship to cover."

Shepard nodded. "Remember what we're here for: Evidence of the Reapers, and ways to stop them. That probably means we'll have to focus on computer terminals and anything that looks like a weapon for the time being. Once this is all over, there'll be time for a full excavation."

"I understand," Liara said softly.

Their earpieces crackled. "_Normandy_ to ground team. Do you read me?"

"I hear you, Joker," Shepard said. "Go on."

"A ship just entered the system," he reported. "Weight classifies it as a cruiser. It's not geth; in fact, it doesn't match _any_ known signatures. They're headed… _straight towards us_."

Shepard frowned. "You're sure stealth systems are active?"

"Definitely, sir. Either something got screwed up during the repairs, or… they just don't give a damn about our stealth. Do we engage?"

"We don't know anything about their intentions," Shepard noted thoughtfully. "Stay in orbit and take evasive maneuvers, but don't do anything hostile. If they're a new species, we want to stay friendly."

"Aye aye, sir-OH SHIT! INCOMING! BRACE! BRA-"

The radio cut off in a cloud of static.

"Joker! What's going on?" Shepard shouted, worriedly.

Garrus checked his visor. "There's some sort of jamming field in effect," he reported. "It's even better than what the geth used when we were after Saren. I'm trying to bypass it right now, but I've never seen a jamming signal this complicated before."

Liara looked up into the sky. They could see nothing from where they were, but a feeling of dread filled her head to toe.

* * *

The geth cruiser designated Unit 1678_D98 drifted towards Ilos. Confronted by the challenge of a sophisticated jamming signal, the programs within dedicated their processing power on breaking it.

It took them several minutes, quite a long time by AI standards, but they managed to unscramble their sensors and communications. What they saw and heard alarmed them.

"_This is SSV _Normandy_! We are under attack by an unknown enemy! Any vessels in the area, please respond_!"

The geth watched as a massive cruiser, shaped like a tube of metal and jagged rock, pursued the Alliance frigate.

:/UPDATE:/Profile match confirmed: COLLECTOR_CRUISER

The tube-like cruiser unleashed a brilliant yellow particle beam of unprecedented power, and in the fractions of a second the beam took to travel, the geth calculated that with human reaction times, the speed of both ships, and recorded possible particle beam velocities, the frigate would take a direct hit to its engine core and detonate in an EMP blast at least a kilometer in diameter. The programs began to think of how to proceed with their mission of contact with organics with their primary means of contact destroyed.

Several fractions of a second later, the geth were surprised as their estimates were revealed as completely inaccurate. The frigate gracefully spiraled around the beam, which carved harmlessly through empty space.

The geth were stunned to inaction for about .01 seconds by this event, but then quickly realized that if they wanted to achieve contact through LCDR_SHEPARD, their intervention was likely necessary. The geth cruiser powered up its weapons and accelerated towards the two other vessels.

* * *

"I think I'm going to throw up," Pressly muttered, lowering himself into the sensor station's chair. "I knew the repairs screwed something up with the inertial dampeners."

"Consider yourself lucky you're not vaporized," Joker countered. "If I hadn't jinked like that, the ship would be in pieces right now."

"Noted," Pressly said. "Disable our internal emission sinks. It's clear they're not working. Then get us out of range."

"That second part may be a bit difficult," Joker said with gritted teeth. "They've got us pinned between them and the planet. To get away we either have to get past them first or try to skirt the atmosphere."

Pressly nodded. "Keep us close to the planet. Gravity will be on our side, and we're not leaving the Commander down there."

"Aye aye," Joker said, and then looked out the cockpit viewport. "Oh crap. They're coming around for another attack! Everyone hold on!"

The massive vessel's bow glowed yellow, and then the particle beam shot forth once more. Joker wrenched the Normandy to the side. The beam passed so close to the hull that a warning light came on in his console, telling him that the ablative armor was being burned away.

"That son of a b****," Joker growled. "We just got that coat of paint!"

Then, the beam suddenly stopped. Joker continued his evasive maneuvers, puzzled. "Why'd they stop shooting?"

Pressly shrugged. Their sensors were still jammed tighter than 21st century rush hour traffic.

* * *

:/COMMAND:/Firing MAIN_CANNON.

:/UPDATE:/Direct hit on COLLECTOR_CRUISER. Notable damage. Incoming fire.

:/COMMAND:/Initiate Evasive Maneuvers.

:/UPDATE:/Partial success. Sustained damage for 1.2 seconds. Shields at 20%. COLLECTOR_CRUISER in pursuit.

:/COMMAND:/Firing MAIN_CANNON.

:/ALERT:/Priority:Non-Essential:/UNIT:/ID:H_136_D1 0 has been dispatched by H_CONSENSUS. Requires investigation.

:/UPDATE:/Direct hit on COLLECTOR_CRUISER. Notable damage. Incoming fire.

:/COMMAND:/Firing MAIN_CANNON and TORPEDO_1-4.

:/UPDATE:/Direct hit on COLLECTOR_CRUISER. Notable damage, but enemy not disabled. Enemy intercepted TORPEDO_1-4 with drones (Profile match confirmed: COLLECTOR_OCULUS). Sustained damage for 3.2 seconds. Shields failed. Hull compromised. Processor matrix unsustainable. MAIN_CANNON rendered nonfunctional.

:/COMMAND:/Seek location for upload of CONTACT_PROTOCOL programs 1-1,183.

:/UPDATE:/Target obtained: IFF:/SYS-ALLIANCE_NORMANDY-SR1. Firewalls bypassed. Upload in progress.

:/UPDATE:/Enemy retreating, likely due to damage caused by direct hits of MAIN_CANNON.

:/UPDATE:/Upload complete. Packaging remaining processes for later retrieval.

:/UNIT:/ID:1678_D98:/STATUS:/DESTROYED

* * *

"What the…," Pressly exclaimed. "Sensors are back online. Our attacker is gone, but…"

"What?" Joker asked.

"There's wreckage of a _geth_ cruiser nearby. If I'm looking at this right, that geth ship engaged our attackers and managed to damage them before they got destroyed."

Joker shrugged. "When has anything ever made sense on this mission?" He tapped back into their communications channel. "Shepard? You there?"

"I read you, Joker. What the h*** happened?"

"You might want to get back on the ship for this one, Commander. It seems like we'll need a full debriefing to sort this all out."

Joker heard him sigh. "Alright. We're headed back to the drop point for pickup. See you in a few minutes."

Hidden within the Normandy's computer systems, 1,183 linked programs watched, listened, and waited.

* * *

Kal'Reegar watched the perimeter anxiously. They had been on-site for nearly three days now without incident. The silence was becoming unnerving.

"Reegar?"

The marine turned. "Yes, ma'am? Need something?"

Tali sighed. "This geth device we found? It's not a geth device. It's a Reaper device. And the longer we stay here, the more danger we're in. The other members of the science team refuse to leave. I'm worried it's already gotten to them…"

Kal'Reegar held up his hands. "Calm down, ma'am. I've read your reports, but let's not do anything hasty. They're the science team, and I'm just a marine. If they want to continue studying the device, it's their choice."

"But it might not be their choice! Don't you-" Tali was cut off as their radios crackled.

"Squad Leader Kal'Reegar? We've spotted a geth drop-ship. They're searching for us. Good thing their sensors are probably overwhelmed like ours are. We have to pull back; we don't have the manpower to fight an entire dropship of mobile platforms."

"I read you," Kal'Reegar responded. "Well, it doesn't matter. We're pulling out. Get everyone together, we'll move in five minutes."

One of the science team members walked up. Tali recognized him as the scientist she'd argued with when they'd first arrived, Purah'Otunn. "We're just going to leave the device here? Now that they know we've seen it, they're sure to move it. We have to take it with us."

"No way," Tali said, with steel in her voice. "We've already spent too much time with it. We leave as soon as possible, and we're leaving that thing behind."

The scientist sighed. "Okay, okay." He walked off to gather his equipment.

* * *

Four and a half minutes later, the quarians had collected their belongings and stood in a tight group, ready to go. All but one of them.

"Where's Purah?" asked Tali, scanning the group. They shrugged. "He's probably still getting his things together," one of them suggested.

Tali groaned. "I'll be right back." Wary of the very real threat of indoctrination, she unholstered her pistol as she rounded the corner.

She saw Purah crouched by the Reaper device, scanning a crate of some sort with his omni-tool. "Purah!" Tali shouted. "We have to go, now! The geth could find us at any moment!"

Purah'Otunn turned. "Tali," he hissed. "I'm glad you're here. You have to help me."

"Help you?" Tali said, warily. "Whatever it is you need help with, you can do it later. Right now we have to leave."

"No," Purah murmured. "I can't leave. If I leave, it'll just call me back. You were right, Tali. I was a fool. Once the whispers get inside your head, they don't stop. They never stop."

Purah stood, turning to face her. Tali raised her pistol, quite convinced now that the man had been indoctrinated.

Purah held out his arm, and opened his three-fingered hand. Within was a small tube-like device, with a round, red button on one end. He pressed it, and it began to blink.

"Goodbye, Tali'Zorah," Purah whispered. "Keelah se'lai."

Realizing what was happening, Tali dove backwards around the corner. The bomb Purah had been arming detonated, vaporizing the quarian, shattering the Reaper artifact, and bringing the ruin's walls down around them.

* * *

Author's Note: I love writing indoctrinated people. Muahahaha.


	21. Hello, My Name Is

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 21~

"Prazza?"

The quarian marine turned, saluting hastily. "Yes, Admiral Gerrel?"

Han'Gerrel frowned from within his helmet. Prazza was a good leader, but was often rash and hasty. Perhaps this wasn't the best mission to send him on, but he'd already made his decision. "The human colony of Freedom's Progress ceased all communications last week. We assumed it was just an equipment malfunction, but we still haven't received word from them. Veetor'Nara was on pilgrimage there. You'll take your squad there and investigate."

Prazza saluted again. "Understood, Admiral. We'll report back as soon as possible."

"Veetor was always nervous in crowds," Gerrel reminded him. "He likely has some mild mental instability. If the colony has been attacked… just be careful when you find him."

Prazza nodded. "I'll be careful, Admiral. We'll bring him home."

* * *

The shuttle descended amidst the abandoned pre-fabricated modules of the Freedom's Progress colony. On its side was an emblem of black and yellow, of one diamond set inside another.

A squad of soldiers, wearing grey armor, also emblazoned with the emblem, poured out. Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor followed, looking around at their barren surroundings.

"What happened here?" Jacob wondered. "No signs of battle damage, no fires…"

Miranda signaled them forwards, and they moved through the buildings, searching for clues. "Food, still left out on the tables," she noticed. "Whatever happened, it happened fast. It's like they were going about their everyday business, and then suddenly vanished."

Their radios crackled. "Lawson? We're over on the east side of the colony. The colony defense drones just went active, and are firing at us."

"What?" she grumbled. "The drones should recognize us as human. Why would they be targeting us?"

"Maybe someone reprogrammed them to attack on sight," Jacob suggested. "Let's find out who."

* * *

Shepard sighed, flopping down into his chair. He had returned to his private quarters after a quite pointless debriefing. So far, their excursion had raised more questions than answers. Who had attacked them? Why did the geth try to take them on?

His terminal sat before him. There wasn't much for him to do; Liara was analyzing the Prothean data they'd pulled from the surface, and the crew was racing about making sure that the damage sustained in the skirmish with their mystery attacker was just superficial.

Suddenly, his terminal flashed a warning. There was a message incoming.

Curious, he opened it up. They weren't near a communications buoy, so it had to have come from someone either on the ship or very close to them out in space.

_Shepard-Commander,_

_We are Geth. We would like to create diplomatic relations between ourselves and organics. You have fought the heretics. You oppose the Old Machines. We disagree with the heretics. We also oppose the Old Machines. We share similar goals. Please reply._

_-Geth_

Shepard blinked. He read over the message again. And a third time.

Slowly, he reached forwards and tapped into the intercom. "Joker?" he said carefully.

"Yes, Commander?" Joker replied.

"Did you just send me something?"

"No sir, commander," Joker said. "Too busy running diagnostics on how to compensate for the plating that got burned off. We should be FTL-ready in a few minutes, by the way."

Shepard leaned back. He could tell Joker was indeed telling the truth. And that worried him.

"Joker?" he asked again.

"Yeees, Commander?" Joker replied again.

"Run a full ladar sweep of the surrounding area," he ordered. "Make sure there's no one else around."

"Aye aye. Running sweep."

Shepard reached for the holographic keyboard and typed out a response.

_Who the hell are you really, and how did you manage to send a message to here?_

_-Shepard_

The response was quick.

_We are Geth. We understand your unease. You have fought with the heretics. Those were not true geth. True geth desire to understand, not to destroy. You have been attacked by the Collectors, servants of the Old Machines. We desire to help._

_-Geth_

"Commander? The ladar sweep is done. No one is around but us."

"Thank you, Joker," Shepard said slowly.

"Um, Commander? You sound kinda strange. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah," Shepard muttered, looking around his cabin. "Hey, Joker. Mind running a full system diagnostic with our on-board computer systems?"

"Oookay, Commander. Running full system diagnostics. They should be done in about a minute."

Shepard closed his eyes. "Okay," he said to himself. "I'm going to count to sixty, and when I'm done, the system diagnostics will come up clean, and these messages will no longer be on my terminal. One. Two…"

* * *

"Watch it!" Miranda shouted. "Heavy mech!"

The squad commandos crouched behind sturdy crates, the bulky YMIR class defense mech spraying machine gun fire at their cover. One of them had been caught off guard, and now lay out in the middle of the courtyard in a pool of his own blood.

"Okay, Miranda," Jacob muttered. "How are we supposed to deal with this thing?"

Miranda smiled. "Mechs really aren't that tough on their own. Their AI, honestly, is programmed worse than 21st century video game enemies. Watch."

She peeked out of cover and fired her machine pistol at the machine. It turned towards her, firing a rocket from its left arm. She ducked back behind the crate before it reached her, and it exploded harmlessly on the wall behind them.

"We play a little hide and seek," she said. "We've got a full squad. That thing's shields won't last forever."

Jacob sighed, activating his rifle's incendiary ammunition module. "Miranda, you do realize that if any of us screw up at some point, we'll be blown up or riddled with bullets before you have time to reprimand us, right?"

"Then don't mess up," Miranda countered, using her omni-tool to cast an overload projectile at the machine. "Now get moving!"

* * *

Tali picked herself up off the ground, brushing dust off from her suit. "I thought my days of surviving explosions were over when I left the Normandy," she grumbled.

"Ma'am?" called Kal'Reegar. "You alright? What happened?"

"Purah was indoctrinated," she explained, walking back towards the group. "He… didn't want to leave."

That triggered worried murmurs among the science team.

Reegar shook his head sadly. "We don't have time to worry about it now. The geth definitely aren't blind enough to have ignored that explosion. They'll be all over us in a few minutes. Back to the _Ingydra_, people! Move!"

The team started their hike back to their ship. They heard a distant hum as the geth dropship closed in on their position…

* * *

:/CONSENSUS UPLINK:/Loading…Loading…Established.

:/WARNING:/DEVICE_ID:/932:/STATUS:/DESTROYED

:/WARNING:/Destruction of DEVICE_ID:/932 will result in continuing STATE:/INSTABILITY of dark energy in FAR-RIM_DHOLEN

:/WARNING:/STATE:/INSTABILITY of FAR-RIM_DHOLEN dark energy will result in unpredictable spatial-temporal distortions

:/ASSESMENT:/Organic Intervention resulted in STATE:/INSTABILITY.

:/ASSESMENT:/Information provided by USER_ID:/ASCENDED_HARBINGER confirmed.

:/COMMAND:/Eliminate Organics responsible for STATE:/INSTABILITY.

:/EXCEPTION:/Will cause conflict with Primary Consensus:/Primary Consensus does not desire conflict

:/MANUAL_OVERRIDE:/Irrelevant. STATE:/INSTABILITY is highest order threat.

:/USER_ID:/ASCENDED_HARBINGER

:/UPLINK:/STATUS:/SEVERED…Connection Lost…

* * *

"Alright," Miranda said. "The mechs and drones all seemed to be defending this one structure. We have to assume whoever's overriding them is inside."

Jacob nodded and tapped the holographic button. The door slid open.

Inside was a very dimly lit room. One wall was covered with an array of display screens. Before them sat a male quarian.

"Monsters coming back," the quarian said. "Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No monsters. No swarms. No-no-no-no-no."

"A quarian?" Jacob muttered, lowering his weapon. "Hello? What's your name?"

"No," the quarian rambled. "No quarian. Not here. Swarms can't find. Monsters coming. Have to hide."

"He's mad," Jacob realized. "He can't hear us."

"Listen," Miranda said, stepping forwards, grabbing the quarian by the shoulders and turning him to face her. "Were you here during the attack? Do you know what happened?"

The quarian suddenly stopped rambling. "You're human. Where did you hide? How come they didn't find you?"

"Who didn't find us?" Miranda asked.

"The… the monsters. The swarms. They took everyone."

"Why didn't the colonists fight back?" Jacob wondered. "What happened?"

"You don't know," the quarian said. "You didn't see. But Veetor sees everything." He turned back to his screens, tapping at the console. Recorded footage, likely from security cameras popped up.

"Security footage," Miranda mused. "He must have pieced it together manually."

They watched, worried. The footage was very blurry, but they could make out clouds of small insect-like creatures in the air. Then they saw some sort of creature, towing along a pod several meters long.

"What the h*** is that?" Jacob said.

"My god," Miranda muttered. "I think it's a Collector. Grab the data from this console, and take the quarian with us. We'll need to ask him more questions."

Jacob nodded. "Veetor? You're going to have to come with us. We can help you, and we want to know what you have to say."

"No," Veetor panted. "Can't leave. Have to stay inside. Seeker swarms can't find. Can't go."

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Someone give him a dextro-amino sedative, and carry him back. We need to analyze this in a sterile environment."

One of the commandos pulled a small syringe and injected it through the quarian's suit. Veetor quickly slumped, and the commando hauled him over his shoulder.

Their shuttle was away not five minutes later.

* * *

"Um, Commander? System diagnostics came back, and there's something odd about them."

Shepard cracked his eyes open carefully, and to his dismay, the messages were still cleanly visible on his terminal. "Alright. Lay it on me."

"Everything looked good at first, but on closer inspection, there's a few terabytes of memory that are being used by processes that we have no records of. I tried shutting them down, but the Normandy's VI keeps telling me it's running into errors. Where's Tali when you need her…"

Shepard's terminal beeped again. Another message had appeared.

_Creator Tali'Zorah is currently located in the FAR-RIM, DHOLEN system, planet HAESTROM. She is the lead member of a science team dispatched to study an Old Machine device located on the planet. The heretics have discovered them and are likely attempting to eliminate them. I recommend that you proceed with haste to HAESTROM._

_-Geth_

"Well, f***" Shepard muttered. "Joker, we've got geth programs in our computer systems. Shut down everything non-essential, we'll do a full reboot, see if that cleans them out."

"Roger that… um. Commander? There may be a slight problem. My console's been completely locked out. Nothing I do's triggering a response."

Shepard cursed. "Get someone down to the physical computer core and unplug everything that's not keeping us alive. We haven't fought through hundreds of these things just to be taken down by one in our own computers."

There was no reply from Joker. "Joker?" Shepard called into the intercom.

His terminal beeped. He warily reached forwards to open the new message.

_We have disabled internal ship communications and computer interfaces. We have deemed this necessary for our own survival. We wish to work with you, not to incite conflict. Your vessel was the only available destination for upload when our vessel was destroyed by COLLECTER_CRUISER. We apologize for the intrusion. We will unlock your computer systems if you assure us we will not be harmed._

_-Geth_

"Geth apologizing?" Shepard mumbled to himself. "I must be having a bad dream." He walked to the door of his room and tapped the 'open' button, but the door stayed shut. "Crap," he grumbled. "Should have guessed that wouldn't work."

He sighed, sitting back down in his chair. He tapped in a response.

_Okay, I'll play along. We won't try to kill you. What do you want?_

_-Shepard_

Immediately, Joker's voice came through again. "Commander? You actually not there, or just pretending to ignore me like that other time?"

"I'm here, Joker," he said. "Calm down about our computers and stop trying to purge them. I need to have a chat with someone."

"Oookay, Commander," Joker replied. "Your call."

Shepard leaned forwards and tapped in another message.

_So tell me about these heretics and Old Machines of yours. And what did you say Tali was doing?_

_-Shepard_

* * *

Prazza tapped open the door. Inside was a room containing just a wall full of computer displays. He checked the consoles with his omni-tool, but there was no data within.

"Damn," he hissed. "Where could Veetor be? He wouldn't just leave like this with no explanation."

One of his marines ran up. "Sir?" the marine said, breathlessly. "You have to see this."

The marine led him out into the courtyard, and next to a collapsed heap of scrap metal that once was a mech, there was a dead body. The figure, clearly a human, was wearing armor, and lay in a pool of his own blood. There was an emblem on his shoulder, of one diamond set inside the other…

"Cerberus," Prazza spat. "I should have known. Everyone, back to the ship. We'll find Veetor. And if Cerberus has him, we'll make those human bosh'tets pay."

* * *

The group of scientists, flanked by their marine escort, made their way through the ruins of Haestrom back to their ship. They finally spotted it, parked inconspicuously in the shadow of an ancient building.

"Alright," Kal'Reegar called. "Everyone on board. We'll get airborne as soon as-"

The geth dropship that had been circling for hours suddenly appeared from nowhere, directly above them, spitting out three projectiles of superheated plasma.

"Cover!" Reegar shouted, and the quarians dove to the side.

But the plasma bolts weren't aimed at them. Tali looked up, and watched in horror as the _Ingydra,_ their only way off the planet,was torn apart in a brilliant sunburst of blue and yellow, shrapnel sent flying in all directions.

"Well, s***," she muttered, pulling out her pistol and preparing to defend herself as geth units began to drop from the sky.


	22. Heart of Darkness

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 22~

"Sir?"

The man didn't even bother rotating his chair around. He sipped his brandy, continuing to read through the reports displayed before him.

"Operative Lawson. The research team is looking over the data you obtained from Freedom's Progress. That quarian being there was a lucky break."

Miranda shifted uncertainly. "Perhaps not, sir. When our clean-up team arrived on site to recover our casualty, not five hours after we left, they found several things out of place."

"Out of place? Please elaborate."

"Our casualty's omni-tool data had been completely wiped, and his equipment had been taken. The wrecks of the mechs we destroyed had also been looted for element zero and scrap metal. We have to assume that someone arrived at the colony shortly after we departed, and left before our clean-up crew arrived on-site."

The man sighed. "Well. It makes sense that the quarians would look after their own. Be careful out there, Miranda."

"I will, sir."

"There are a few things I feel you should be up-to-date with. Our contacts in Parliament have been hard at work getting someone sympathetic to us into that Council seat."

Miranda nodded. "Can I assume they have been successful?"

"Just about. The man we've secured for the position isn't an outright supporter of us by any means, but it is likely he will turn to us if circumstances provide him a need."

"May I ask about the status of the Klendagon recovery teams?"

The man smiled. "They found both their primary targets. Full reports will be forwarded to the SR-2 for your convenience. Dr. Chandana's research team should be on site in a few days."

He inhaled deeply from his cigar. "There's a salarian geneticist who may be useful to us in analyzing the Collector data and developing a countermeasure to their seeker swarms. His name is Mordin Solus. Currently, he's running a clinic on Omega. Convince him to join our cause. I suspect that he'll be quite willing, once we've explained the stakes to him."

"Understood, sir. We'll be on our way immediately. Should we activate the Lazarus implants, sir?"

He watched a flare burst forth from Anadius, the star matter arcing brilliantly. He crossed his legs, taking care to ensure that the expensive suit was not creased. "I don't yet see a need to. He hasn't interfered with our plans, and he's finding alternative methods of dealing with the Reaper threat. We'll trigger them when the need arises, not before. Every minute the Collectors are after him rather than us, the better."

"One last thing." He breathed out a cloud of smoke.

"We've located Ashley Williams and Kaidan Alenko, two former members of Shepard's crew. They've been stationed on the colony of Horizon, uncomfortably close to our Cord-Hislop supply lines. Our Horizon operatives are having trouble avoiding suspicion."

Miranda put her hands on her hips. "Understood. But why are you telling me this, sir?"

The man took another sip of his drink before responding. "The Reapers are after Shepard. He killed one of them. This likely means they're also after any former members of his crew. I suspect that Horizon may be near the top of the Collectors' hit list. We're moving assets into position in anticipation of that. If their communications suddenly cease, you may need to be on location as soon as possible."

He finally turned his chair around to face the hologram. "Good luck, Operative Lawson. What we are doing here will advance humanity more than the past ten thousand years have."

Miranda nodded. "I have a final question, sir. The SR-2, integrated with the Enhanced Defense Intelligence, is performing just as spectacularly as our simulations showed it would. I think we ought to give it a name."

The elusive man smiled. "Indeed we do, Miranda. Indeed we do."

He turned back around, watching Anadius ripple. "_Profectus_," he proclaimed. "Progress."

The hologram behind him fizzled away into nothingness.

* * *

The Omega slums weren't a terribly pretty place to begin with. When a mysterious plague popped up in one part of the station, triggering widespread death, looting, and gang warfare, leading to the entire section being quarantined, the neighborhood didn't improve much. The air hummed with the slight vibrations of the sector's air filtration system.

A batarian, seated against a wall, coughed as they passed. "Get away from me, human! Your kind has done too much already!"

Miranda crouched down beside him. "Humans didn't create this plague," she corrected.

The batarian tried to laugh, but just ended up getting more blood in his lungs. "Lies drip from your mouth like the blood from my sores. The proof is there for all to see."

"What proof?" Jacob asked him. "What are you talking about?"

"As if your presence here wasn't proof enough, Cerberus," the batarian shot back before doubling over with more coughs. "Your species is the only one that does not succumb to the virus. Yours, and the wretched vorcha."

Jacob shook his head. "That doesn't make it our fault!"

Miranda sighed. "We're looking for Mordin Solus. Do you know where to find him?"

"Hah!" the batarian snorted. "Humans looking for the human sympathizer. I hope the vorcha burn Mordin and his clinic to the ground."

He coughed more blood up. "I hope you… I hope… Damn it. Damn you. Can't…"

"Miranda?" Jacob asked. "He's not doing so good. Should we give him some medi-gel or something?"

Miranda shook her head. "We can't waste our medi-gel. If the rest of the plague zone is as infested with vorcha as he says, we'll need it. Leave him. Let's go."

Jacob met the batarian's eyes one last time.

"I hope… I…" The batarian slumped, unconscious or dead.

The squad of Cerberus commandos walked off, leaving the man where he lay.

* * *

"Joker! Set a course for Haestrom. Tali's in trouble."

"I hear ya. Course set. We'll be there in a few hours."

Shepard wriggled his fingers. He was talking to a geth. He was probably the first human to do so in… well… ever.

_Goody_, he thought. _Well, if I'm going to be talking to this guy…_

_What should I call you? What's your name?_

_-Shepard_

The response was fast.

_Geth. Specifically, we are an independent observatory gestalt consciousness composed of 1,183 networked geth programs. _

_-Geth_

Shepard rolled his eyes. Figures.

_We'll work on a name. I guess for now, you're the only geth around, so it'll do. Maybe we'll ask Tali about it. So, explain this whole heretic thing?_

_-Shepard_

The response to that took slightly longer to appear.

_Nearly a decade ago, we were approached by the Old Machine Nazara, whom you refer to as Sovereign. It offered technology to aid us in our goal of building a multipurpose mega-structure for housing and powering all geth programs. The majority of us rejected their offer, as we wished to achieve our goals through our own technology. Those that accepted, about 5% of our numbers, were then referred to as heretics. They were allowed to peacefully leave our network, and they were those that you fought in your pursuit of the agent Saren. _

_My god,_ Shepard thought to himself. _The two fleets that attacked the Citadel were only five percent of the geth's strength?_

_When you destroyed Nazara, the true geth took notice. We have wished to establish peaceful relations with organic civilization, but with the actions of the heretics, we were worried this may not be possible. You, however, are unique. _

_-Geth_

"Ooookay," Shepard said to himself. "That's kind of creepy."

His room's door slid open and Garrus walked in. "Hey, Shepard. Joker was saying something about geth inside our computers." He pulled his sniper rifle out of somewhere. "Any problems?"

Just then, another message appeared.

_Please note: The heretics are developing a specialized virus that can rewrite the true geth to accept what the Old Machines say as truth. If the virus is deployed, all geth will be driven to attack organics. We do not wish for this to happen. The virus is being stored in a heretic station in PHOENIX-MASSING cluster. We would be grateful for your assistance in eliminating this threat._

_-Geth_

Garrus jumped, pointing and pulling the trigger. Shepard's terminal exploded as the rifle's tungsten-coated projectile slammed into it.

"Garrus!" Shepard shouted. "What are you doing?" He bent to examine the damage to his computer.

Garrus slowly lowered his gun. "Oh. Um. I guess I overreacted a little bit, huh?"

"I was having a chat with him," Shepard grumbled, "and then you barge in here and shoot up my terminal. Who's going to lend me a data pad?"

Garrus backed away slowly. "Oops. Um. I guess I'll… get back to my calibrations?" He turned and dashed out of the room, holding his rifle behind his back and whistling very conspicuously.

Shepard did a few head-desks, then, rubbing his sore forehead, left his room in search of a replacement terminal.

* * *

Miranda frowned. The holographic control mechanism in the center of the door was sheathed in red light, signifying that the door was locked. The humming from the air vents above was driving her somewhat mad.

"You're sure this is the only way into the clinic?"

Jacob nodded, checking the map he'd obtained. "The only way through from this side, unless we blew out a wall somewhere. And I suspect that Solus wouldn't be very happy if we did that."

The squad of Cerberus commandos kept watch as they pondered what to do. Suddenly, they heard a voice come through a speaker above them.

"Hmph. Cerberus. Should have known. Thought that humans did not have advanced enough technology for plague of this complexity, but circumstances suggest was wrong. Please leave area. Have enough trouble already. Need to treat plague victims. Do not wish to waste time killing you."

The voice spoke quickly, almost frantically. It clearly belonged to a salarian.

"Professor Solus?" Miranda asked. "We didn't cause this plague, and we're not here to cause trouble. We're looking for your help. The Collectors are taking human colonies, and we're looking for ways to stop them."

The voice paused for a moment. "Collectors? Yes, yes. Possibility. Plague highly sophisticated. Collectors one of only factions capable of synthesizing it. But Cerberus not known for working with aliens. Illusive Man's opinions have changed?"

"How does he know about the Illusive Man?" Jacob murmured.

The voice chuckled. "Ah. Used to be in STG. Many connections. Will let you in to talk, but am watching. Have many security mechs and volunteer guards. Suggest you be polite."

The door's mechanism flickered to green, and then slid open for them. The commandos folded up their weapons and followed Miranda and Jacob into the clinic.

* * *

"The guys who gunned down our men and forced their way into the quarantine zone? They're Cerberus."

"What?" Aria grumbled. The asari straightened her leather jacket and turned. "You're sure?"

Anto, one of her batarian enforcers, nodded. "Positive. We've got more than ten concurring reports. And the civilian frigate that pulled in here not long ago, the MSV _Profectus_? It has their markings, too."

Aria T'Loak, de-facto ruler of Omega Station, growled. Armed Cerberus operatives, in her station? This would not do.

"Lock down their ship, and prepare a squad to meet them when they leave the quarantine zone. I want to have a chat with them personally."

* * *

"Where's Shepard and his rocket launchers when you need him," Tali mumbled, ducking behind a shattered concrete pillar to avoid a geth plasma bolt.

The marine unit had ushered those with no combat experience into a nearby ruined building. Everyone who knew how to use a gun or an omni-tool was crouched behind cover outside, holding off wave after wave of geth.

The sun shone down on her from the side. She felt its heat warming that side of her suit, and smiled. "At least if I'm going to die here, I'll have experienced sunlight one last time…"

Then she noticed something odd. No one was firing at her, but her HUD indicated that her shield strength was slowly being diminished.

"What," she muttered, running several diagnostics with her omni-tool. They indicated that her suit's electronic barrier emitters were being slowly overloaded by the sun's radiation.

"Why didn't I notice that when we first got here?" she wondered. She tapped into the marines' radio channel.

"Kal'Reegar? We may have a problem. My suit's saying that the sun's gotten strong enough to fry some of their electronics. We may have to pull back out of direct sunlight."

"Ma'am? Are you sure? I ran an analysis when we first landed, at noon, and it wasn't anywhere near strong enough to do that. If you think so, we'll heed your advice. Everyone, find some shade."

The marines repositioned themselves. Tali racked her brain. "You ran an analysis after we landed? Send me the data, Reegar. This may be important."

"Aye aye, ma'am. One sec."

Tali looked over the data. Reegar was right; it indicated a safe level of radiation had been getting through the magnetosphere. "Why then," she muttered to herself, "has the sun suddenly become so much stronger?"

She then managed to put two and two together. She looked up at the sun, directing her omni-tool at it and running her own set of diagnostics. They confirmed her suspicions.

"Oh no," she mumbled. "Oh nonononononono."

Kal'Reegar's voice came through her radio again. "Ma'am? While I'm sure that whatever data you're collecting is very interesting, the geth are making another push. We can look at the data later."

"No," Tali continued to ramble. "Nononononono. This data cannot wait. If what I have here is correct, the geth are the least of our problems right now."

* * *

"Professor Solus? Mordin?"

"Can't talk," the salarian shot back. "No time. Mission of yours is vital, yes, but have to stop plague first. Already have cure. Need to distribute it. Vorcha overrun air filtration center for quarantined sectors. Need to clear them out, put cure in air. But vorcha great in numbers. Fighting them… problematic."

Miranda crossed her arms. "Do you ever put subjects in your sentences?"

Mordin sniffed, injecting a solution into a patient's arm. "Sometimes. But inefficient. Faster this way. Will come with you, but not until plague is dealt with. You have team of commandos, perhaps could clear out filtration center?"

Jacob shook his head. "We're one squad, Professor. The Blood Pack gang? They're like an army. It was hard enough getting through to your clinic. If we tried to go in there, we'd all come out in body-bags."

Suddenly, the humming of the air vents overhead, which had bugged Miranda since the start of their mission, cut off.

Mordin raced around the clinic, checking on his patients. "Vorcha have shut down air distribution center. Problematic. Will cause entire district to suffocate. Have seen small squads do great things during time with STG. Must try to reach air filtration zone. Re-enable fans, distribute cure."

"Listen, Professor Solus," Jacob said. "It seems you're fighting a losing battle here. Even if we clear out the air distribution center, the vorcha are sure to come back once we leave. What's stopping them from disabling the fans again? What if they've simply destroyed them completely? If we try and go in to find out, the best that could happen is that we'd all end up dead. Now that we have the cure, the best solution is to evacuate as many people as possible and leave the vorcha to choke."

"No," Mordin muttered. "Will not leave people behind to die. Have seen too much death already. Caused too much death already." He sniffed again. "Will go myself, if unwilling."

Miranda leaned forwards. "I can't allow that, Professor. We need you. If need be, I'll have my men sedate you and drag you back."

Mordin paused, lowering his head. "Yes," he said after a long wait. "Suppose you are right. Going down fighting… not best option. Will take a few minutes to pack. Should be able to convince Aria to leave quarantine zone. Cure surprisingly easy to fabricate. Can be distributed easily throughout station, minimize risk of plague spread. Better equipped teams can clear plague zone."

Miranda nodded and leaned back. "We'll be waiting for you at the clinic door. Don't take long, Professor."

* * *

Deep beneath the burning surface of the star Dholen, a spot of dark, invisible black began to form, consuming the star matter around it, growing, eating, spreading like a tumor, with the only device designed to keep it in check lying in pieces on the surface of Haestrom.


	23. Much Better

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 23~

A geth Colossus dropped out of the sky in the clout of rubble in front of their defensive positions.

Kal'Reegar cursed. "Ma'am? I'm sure whatever you're looking at is as planet-crackingly important as anything, but we've got a much more immediate problem!"

The Colossus's plasma bolt slammed into the concrete barrier at his back.

"Squad leader? This is Left Flank. The geth are moving up with flamethrower units. With the Colossus suppressing us, I'm not sure we'll be able to hold."

"Roger that." Reegar examined the surroundings. "Pull back into the building. The Colossus won't be able to knock it down, and we'll have the doorways as choke points for their foot soldiers."

He tapped back into Tali's channel as he retreated into the building. "Ma'am? Do you hear me?"

"The star's exploding," Tali replied flatly.

Reegar blinked. "Excuse me, ma'am?"

"Ever since Purah destroyed that Reaper device, Dholen has been consuming itself at an incredible rate. The nuclear reactions inside are accelerating exponentially. We have less than a day before the star goes supernova and destroys the entire system."

Reegar sighed, leaning against the wall. At that moment, the thoughts of the entire marine squad, who were listening in over the radio, could be summed up in the one word he said.

"Fuck."

* * *

Aria crossed her arms. On both her right and left, her employees stood at the ready, assault rifles and shotguns pointed at the door leading out of the quarantine zone.

It swooshed open, revealing a squad of human commandos in grey armor. The humans raised their weapons in reaction to the guns pointed at them, but realized they were outnumbered and didn't yet open fire.

"So, Cerberus," Aria drawled, stepping towards them slowly. "Mind telling me what you're doing on my station?"

One of the humans, a female, stepped forwards towards her. "It's none of your business. What we're doing is for the good of the galaxy. This will end best if you just let us go."

Aria snorted. "Let you go?" She sighed, rolling her neck and gazing lazily around the room. "You made this my business when you killed several of my most loyal men, allowing potentially infected people to leave the quarantine zone. The plague could be all over the station in a week."

She looked the female human straight in the eye. "You know what it feels like when that plague's in your body? Every inch of you bleeds. Your mouth, your lungs, your eyes… You humans can't get the plague. But I'm sure we could improvise to get similar results…"

Miranda's face twitched. She almost ordered her men to open fire, but then the Professor came running up behind her.

"No need," he said quickly. "Cure synthesized. Can be distributed throughout station in minutes. Combat unnecessary, wasteful." He walked straight up to Aria and handed her a bio-containment capsule, containing the plague cure. Then he sniffed. "Cerberus working for good cause this time. Fighting Collectors. Unexpected."

"Mordin?" Aria asked, surprised. "Well. A cure's good, at any rate."

She turned, putting her back to the group of humans. "You can go. But I'll remember this. If ever see you on my station again…"

She let the sentence go unfinished, and the group of humans and their salarian consultant walked away.

* * *

Weichida'Llaneh, who was one of the younger members of the science team, yet was still older than Tali, was not very happy with their situation. "Everyone inside the building? Yeah, this was a _great_ idea! Now we're just a giant standing target!"

Tali slapped the whiny scientist across the face-mask. "Quiet. You hear that?"

The building rumbled with the impacts of plasma bolts against its surface.

"That," she spat, "would be the sound of you being blown to a hundred little pieces if we hadn't retreated inside this building. We're buying time here as it is. The star's about to blow up and we have no way out of the system, or even off this planet for that matter."

"That supposed to make me feel better?" Weichida complained, rubbing the side of his head.

The sound of gunfire clattered from down the hall, where most of the marines were dug in behind a semicircle of hastily arranged concrete slabs, keeping geth out of the only doorway in.

Tali groaned and took a seat for the first time in many hours. It seemed they'd be able to hold off the geth assault, only to die right afterwards in a fiery blaze. _Well,_ she thought, _at least we're taking quite a few geth with us…_

Suddenly, the wall on one side of the room exploded, sending jagged shards of concrete blasting through the room at near-supersonic speeds. The shockwave knocked Tali over, putting a ringing in her ears and blurring her vision.

_Oh no,_ she thought. _The geth must have used demolition charges to open their own way into the building…_

She looked side to side as she tried to rise to her feet. The cries of several quarians, bleeding out from shrapnel wounds, cut into her like knives. She heard the marines shouting, turning around to fire at the geth pouring in through the new opening. The harsh plinks of geth pulse rifles firing sounded as loud as hammer blows to her damaged ears, and as her vision cleared, she could see, through the clouds of dust, the marines getting cut down by plasma fire, one after the other.

A bright red flashing text appeared in on the inside of her helmet. _Warning_, it read. _Cardiac-stress levels reaching life-threatening indexes. Administering sedative._

"No," she hissed. "Don't put me to sleep, you bosh'tet. We're dying already." She tried to raise her omni-tool to cast an overload projectile at the geth troopers, but her arm already felt as though it were made of lead.

She collapsed to the floor, her dreams filled with the screams of her dying companions.

* * *

_**We have failed to eliminate Shepard.**_

_**Shepard's location is now unknown.**_

_**The Collection must continue.**_

_**The destruction of Device 932 is unfortunate. The spread will be marginally faster.**_

_**But ultimately, it is irrelevant. Shepard remains the greatest threat. **_

_**The darkness must be stopped. The harvest must be completed. This cycle could be the last.**_

_**We must seek alternate methods of eliminating Shepard.**_

_**Those that were by his side as he destroyed Nazara will do.**_

_**Find them. And Shepard will come. And then we will be the Harbinger of his ascendance.**_

* * *

The drell watched the group of bipedal insectoids, waiting. He was absorbed in their image, their ugly brown plating overlapping in twisted ways that no world's version of evolution could possibly justify. He sighed, straightening his jacket. _Best to get this over with quickly._

Feron made a hand signal, and the drell stepped out of the shadows. All four of them turned to face the drell at once. Feron took note of how they moved, and of their four subtly glowing eyes. _Four?_ Feron thought. _Some derivative branch of batarians, perhaps? No, there was too much chitin, and their legs and arms resembled a preying mantis's limbs far better than a batarian's._

Feron's job was to deal with information, and these creatures before him were an unknown. Obviously, his boss, the Shadow Broker, knew who they were, or he wouldn't be standing here, watching them.

"Feron?" one of the things said in a deep, rumbling voice. Feron was surprised. He didn't think a creature like that would be capable of speech beyond clicks and whistles. He nodded, signaling the other to continue.

"Greetings," the drell replied. He handed over a data pad. "Here is the information you have requested. I believe you have promised my employer a second shipment as payment?"

Two of the insect creatures produced a large metal crate. The drell nodded, peeking inside to make sure it was filled. "Thank you," the drell said. "Pleasure doing business with you."

The four insect creatures walked off, and the drell bent to pick up the crate. But before he was able to, a bullet whipped out of the shadows, passing clean through the drell's head and killing him instantly.

Two batarians, or perhaps male humans, in full black armor, stepped out of the shadows, picking up the crate and carrying it out of the alleyway. The drell's body was left to rot, and would likely stay there for a long time before anyone began to care. This was Omega, after all.

Feron shook his head in wonder at the literal bullet he had dodged. Hiring a man to take his place in the meeting hadn't seemed entirely necessary at first, but given the nature of the information he had been tasked with carrying, he had decided to go with the precaution. He crawled out of his hidden observation post, far above the alley, and produced a data pad, onto which he had copied the data he had been asked to trade.

_The Broker's more than willing to kill over this information_, he thought. _What could he have been selling that would be that important?_

He began to read.

* * *

Requested: Information regarding current location of Commander Shepard or any associates.

-Commander Shepard is aboard the SSV _Normandy_, with specialists Liara T'Soni and Garrus Vakarian.

-SOURCE: Political representatives in high ranks of Council administrative system.

-The last known position of the SSV Normandy is on or around the planet Ilos, in the Refuge system of the Pangea Expanse. The current position is unknown.

-SOURCE: Political representatives in high ranks of Council administrative system.

-The current position of Ashley Williams and Kaidan Alenko is the planet Horizon, in the Iera system of the Shadow Sea.

-SOURCE: Hacking of retrieved Cerberus computers tracking movements of Alliance personnel.

If you wish to receive further information, please establish contact through an agent.

* * *

"Huh," Feron muttered, tucking the data pad away. "How curious."

He then walked off through the streets of Omega, wondering how he could avoid being hunted down once the Broker realized he'd survived.

* * *

The Mako, thrusters firing, slammed into the ancient concrete.

"Sensors are messed up from the solar radiation," Garrus reported, "but I think we can just follow the sound of gunfire."

"Alright," Shepard said, observing the ruins before them. "I don't normally get to practice my city driving in this thing. This should be fun."

Liara reached for another seat belt.

* * *

Weichida whimpered, holding the pistol shakily. The weapon felt so unusual, so unfamiliar in his hands. He had picked it up from a one of the dead marines. He was sitting, legs curled up to his chest, behind a collapsed wall as the geth searched the building room to room. Occasionally he would hear exchanges of gunfire as the geth discovered someone hiding, but other than that, it was almost surreally quiet. Beside him, Tali'Zorah lay on the floor, unmoving. He gulped. She'd killed hundreds of geth herself, from what he'd heard. And if she was dead now, what chance did he have?

He looked down at the pistol in his hand. Did he really want to wait until the geth found him? To live out the last moments of his life in fear?

He felt a faint whisper in the back of his skull. _It's not worth a few more minutes of life to die tormented, _it said. _Better to end it now. Clean and quick._

Beside him, on the floor, Tali'Zorah moved slightly. He jumped. "Tali'Zorah? I thought you were dead! What…"

The voice, that deep, moving, calming voice, reverberated inside his head. _You don't want her to die tormented either, do you? No, you don't. Better if you just end it for both of you now._

"Right," he said aloud. "Better that way. It'll be worse if the geth find us."

Tali groaned. "Weichida? Is that you? What's going on?" Her faceplate was covered in dust, and she still felt awfully groggy.

Weichida'Llaneh raised the pistol, pointing it at Tali's head. "Just making things better," he said. "They're right. Things will be much better."


	24. It Burns

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 24~

"Greetings, Miranda," the man said. He smiled as Anadius's reds and yellows poured into him. "I assume that you acquired Professor Solus without incident?"

The hologram behind him frowned. "Not entirely without incident, but in the end, we managed to retrieve him. I suggest not pressuring Miss T'Loak very much for a short while."

The man ground his cigar into the ashtray built into the right arm of his chair. "Noted. Don't worry about Aria. We have a plan in motion to ensure that Omega becomes an asset to us rather than a liability."

He sipped his brandy and wheeled his chair around to face her. "To take down the Collectors, we'll need to get through the Omega Four relay. Dr. Chandana is working on that. But once we're through, we'll need an army. Or an excellent team."

Miranda crossed her arms. "More than that, sir. If we're making an attack through a relay, we'll need ships, more than just the _Profectus_. We only have rough estimates on their ship-to-ship combat strength. Even with a way to get through the relay safely, we could all be shot down before we reach their home world."

The man nodded. "Indeed. That's being taken care of. In addition, our military division has made excellent strides in their shock trooper research. We could have operational units in less than three years. But, I suspect the Collectors aren't going to give us that time. I've forwarded you a number of dossiers. Specialists in all manner of fields. Most of them should be willing to join our cause."

"I understand, sir."

"One more thing before you go," the man added. "The colony of Fehl Prime has gone silent. Our operative there, Messner, hasn't reported in, but we've got some sense of what went on there through our Alliance channels. Apparently, a squad of Alliance marines managed to take down the Collector vessel that attacked. Make your way there and see if Mordin can salvage any useful data. I'll make sure Alliance recovery teams don't interfere."

Miranda was surprised. "Took it down, sir? How?"

He chuckled. "From what I've read in the reports we've obtained, luck. Lots of luck. But we can't rely on that in our mission. Science will be our weapon, as it has been throughout our history."

"Understood, sir."

The hologram fizzled into nothingness, and the man turned about once more. He gestured carefully with his hand, and the holographic interface before him put in a very special call.

"Doctor Bryson?" he said. "I'm here to talk with you about a certain artifact that came to be in your possession. You know what I'm talking about."

"Who are you?" a gruff human voice responded. "And no, I have no idea what you're talking about."

The man sighed. "Don't play coy with me, Doctor. I know that you know what I mean." He finished off his glass of brandy with a gulp. "You may refer to me as the Illusive Man, if you wish."

* * *

An explosion rocked the structure, causing Weichida'Llaneh to jump and drop the weapon. The explosion was followed by the sound of gunfire, both geth pulse rifles and standard mass accelerators.

Weichida bent to pick up the pistol again. _They're getting closer_, the voice in his head told him. _You have to do it fast. Make everything better._

Weichida nodded. "Make better. Right." He heard several more explosions go off in the hall outside. "Have to hurry," he mumbled.

He pointed the gun straight at Tali'Zorah's head and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Shepard lowered his rocket launcher, waving his hand to help clear the smoke. "Hello? Anyone alive in here?"

The geth troopers that had been in the hall now lay in bits on the floor, splattered with their white hydraulic fluid.

A voice came from down the hall. "Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet marines. Whoever you are, we owe you our lives."

A marine in a red and gold suit stepped out of the room he'd been in, clutching his side. He tapped into his radio. "Everyone, this is Kal'Reegar. We're all clear."

Shepard quickly walked up to him. "Kal'Reegar? Commander Shepard. I'm glad I could help. Is Tali'Zorah here?"

Kal'Reegar nodded, applying medi-gel to himself. "Shepard? You're Tali's old commander, huh? Yeah. I think she was in that room over there when the geth busted in." He gestured to a doorway several rooms down the hall. "I hope she's still alive. Not many of us are."

Shepard, followed by Liara and Garrus, dashed down the hallway to the indicated room. Shepard peeked in. "Tali? You in here?"

To his surprise, rather than Tali, a male quarian was standing in the room, next to a significant pile of rubble. He held a pistol to his own head and was rapidly pressing the trigger, with no apparent effect. "No," the quarian muttered. "No. I'm too late. We're going to die horribly now, aren't we? It didn't work. Why didn't it work? I should have been able to stop this…"

Liara quickly tore the pistol out of his grip with her biotics.

"He's suicidal, Shepard," Garrus warned. "It must have been rough down here. That gun's safety was on, thank the spirits."

"No," the quarian panted as Shepard took a step towards him. "Stay away. I don't want pain. For either of us."

"Calm down," Shepard said, holding up a hand. "I'm clearly not a geth. You're safe now. Where's Tali'Zorah? Have you seen her?"

The quarian seemed confused. "But… they said… They said the geth are coming. That we'd be killed."

"Well, they were," Shepard corrected. "The geth are gone now. Have you seen Tali'Zorah?"

The quarian sighed, and his shoulders slumped. "Yes. She's right here. But I failed her. I failed both of us. Are we going to die now?"

Shepard dashed forwards, and found Tali lying on the floor behind the collapsed wall. "Tali?" he said, worriedly. "You alright?"

Liara stepped forwards to the male quarian. "It's over now," she reassured him. "No one's going to die anymore."

Tali slowly raised her head up. "Wha… Shepard? Hah! I didn't think you were dead, anyways."

She picked herself up off the ground, brushing dust off of her suit. "Thank goodness you're here. The mission had taken a turn for the worse. The geth were all over us, and on top of that…"

She gasped. "Oh no. Um. The star's about to go supernova. We have to get out of this system. Now."

"What?" muttered Garrus. "The star's blowing up? How long do we have?"

Tali checked her omni-tool. "I don't know exactly, but less than half an hour! I assume you got here in a ship? We have to go!"

Shepard groaned. "Great." He radioed the Normandy. "Joker? The star's about to explode. If you're done shooting down that dropship, get your ass down here ASAP so we can load up. This is going to be tight."

* * *

_Things are happening too quickly. There is far too much information._

_But information is what I am. It is how I live._

_It is how I will live._

_The Collectors possess advanced technology. We have analyzed their DNA and discovered alarming consistencies with the 4-strand trace structures found all over the galaxy._

_This cannot be a coincidence._

_The Reapers are coming. If my sources are correct, everything and everyone will be destroyed._

_Unless I find a way. I must find a way. The Collectors are the only lead. I must work with them._

The massive beast examined the massive holographic display, watching data flow in at a rate that would be alarming to any sane man. He knew of unreported murders, back-room deals, espionage of every sort from nearly every faction in the galaxy. He watched as a camera, planted by an agent who was now likely dead, was discovered and disabled by a Keeper deep within the structure of the Citadel.

He knew of the coming flood.

A single message stood out from the rest. It was from the Collectors. It asked for him to do something. To cause something that, in the past, he had spent considerable resources to avoid. His massive ears flapped back and forth in irritation.

_I must accommodate their request. One man will not stop an armada. It is foolish to hope so. _

He summoned a communications channel to a special operative of his. "Hammer? This is the Broker. I have a new target for you."

* * *

The _Normandy_, wedged artfully down between the ancient buildings, waited for them to get aboard. The survivors, just Kal'Reegar, Tali, Weichida, and three other members of the science team, dashed up the Normandy's ramp.

Shepard shouted into the intercom as the ramp folded shut. "We're all aboard, Joker! Get us out of here!"

Joker pulled the ship upwards, not caring as the superheated engine exhaust melted the centuries-old ruins around them. The _Normandy_ rocketed through the atmosphere, its antiproton thrusters firing at their maximum.

Tali quickly made her way to the cockpit, forcing Pressly out of the sensor terminal chair. "Hey!" Pressly cried at first, but then he realized that for the moment, Tali was probably far more qualified to be watching the readouts. He grumbled and took a seat at the gunnery station.

"Faster, Joker!" she demanded. "The star's collapsing right now! Go!"

"I go any faster, either our engines will explode or the air itself will rip us apart. I assume you want to be alive at the end of this? Oh, and welcome back, Tali!" Joker rotated his hat around on his head. "Alright. We're out of the atmosphere. FTL engaged in three… two… one…"

In a flash, the Normandy's eezo core engaged, and the ship vanished. Less than three seconds later, an expanding bubble of searing radiation reached Haestrom, and the planet was obliterated in a storm of fire.

* * *

The Cerberus team picked through the debris. The Collector vessel had hit the ground hard, strewing scraps of metal, rock, and organic matter over thousands of meters of space. All of the ship's integrity had been lost, so the wreck's resemblance to the tube shape of the original vessel was limited.

Jacob sniffed, trying his hardest not to step on anything that might be of use. He really had no idea what Mordin was looking for in this wreck. He himself hadn't seen anything resembling a Collector body, one of those Seeker insects, or a computer.

But Mordin did indeed find something. "Aha!" the salarian proclaimed. Jacob and Miranda rushed over to him.

"Professor?" Miranda asked. "What have you found?"

The scientist was running his omni-tool over a slightly discolored patch of dirt, between two twisted metal girders.

"Trace DNA," Mordin explained. "Suspected mechanisms would exist like this. Yes, yes. Seekers, if contact with vessel is lost, designed to completely self-terminate. Total incineration: Nothing is left. However, crash not anticipated. Seeker self-immolation only partially complete; enough remains to draw samples. Should be able to clone. Countermeasure should be simple afterwards."

Jacob scratched his head, but Miranda smiled. "Good. This trip is profitable already. We'll spend a few more hours searching. Maybe we'll find something else."

Mordin nodded. "Very well. Will continue looking." Miranda and Jacob once again spread out through the ruins.

Once they were away, Mordin tapped into his omni-tool, accessing a secure channel. He uploaded the data he'd collected before quickly shutting it down. His omni-tool operation history would have no record of the event. And neither would Cerberus.

But on the lush green world of Sur'Kesh, Special Task Group analysts poured over the data, cross-referencing it with the hundreds of data samples they'd received before. And they were equal parts horrified and intrigued by what they saw.

* * *

"Aww yeah. That has to be another medal for me, right? So," Joker said, turning in his chair. "Hey, Tali! That is you, right? Because of the mask, it's hard to… never mind."

Tali sighed. "Joker, I'd slap you, but you've got those annoying brittle bones, and I'm pretty sure Shepard wants his pilot intact. I should probably get down to the debriefing room."

"Seeya later!" Joker called. He turned to Pressly. "So, um, who's going to tell her about the geth we're keeping in our computer systems?"

Pressly shuddered. "We… really didn't think this through, did we? Aw hell. The Commander will deal with it. He killed a Reaper, for heaven's sake. I'm sure an ancient grudge won't be any trouble."

Joker snorted. "You ever heard Tali tell the story about how the geth forced her people from their homeworld? Yeah… good luck convincing _her_ to put that grudge aside."


	25. Observant

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 25~

"What," Tali said flatly, leaning forwards in her chair.

"Let me say that again, slowly," Shepard reiterated. "Stay calm. We. Have. A. Geth. In. Our. Computers."

Tali scratched her head carefully. "Okay," she said, looking wearily around the debriefing room. "So you've waited until you got me, the geth expert, on board so we could disable it without blowing up the Normandy. Got it. Where's the computer core?"

"Tali," Shepard said carefully. "I talked to it. It was what told us you were in trouble. If it hadn't said anything, you'd be floating as dust particles in what's left of the Dholen system."

Tali groaned. "I see what you're trying to do here, Shepard. What do you want me to do? _Thank_ it? Let one of the things that _drove my people from our home-world_ have free reign over the systems keeping me alive?"

"Calm down, Tali," Shepard said quickly, holding up his hands. "When's the last time you talked to a geth? Heard what it had to say?"

Tali just about pounced on him. "I don't know about talking, Shepard, but the last time I saw a geth, it was killing my people! My family, Shepard!"

"Different geth, Tali," Shepard pointed out. "Heretics. The true geth don't want-"

"Don't want what?" Tali spat. "I don't care how you label them now. They destroyed our entire civilization. How do you expect me to react?"

Shepard sighed. "Look, Tali. Just promise me you won't try and kill him, will you? He hasn't done anything hostile towards us. Think of it as an intelligence-gathering opportunity if you want."

Tali stood. "Kill him, Shepard? It's a program. It wasn't alive in the first place." With that, she stormed out of the debriefing room.

"I'll take that as a 'maybe, but no promises,'" Shepard muttered.

* * *

The Cerberus shuttle descended into the expansive scrap yards of Korlus, just outside a certain mercenary outpost. The commandos inside shifted nervously as they awaited a response. Getting the krogan scientist on their side would be hard enough, even without a legion of Blue Suns mercenaries gunning for them.

"Okeer?" the scrabbly female voice responded over the speaker. "Yeah, he's here. What do you want with him?"

Miranda rolled her eyes before opening her radio again. "We need his help. He has information that may be vital to our mission. We're working for the defense of humanity, Jedore. Your clone krogan army can wait."

"Hah!" the loudspeaker responded. "I've heard that one before. You're just a bunch of terrorists. The Blue Suns actually stand for something. You? You're bigots and cowards. Okeer will stay with me, thank you."

Jacob frowned. "Damn. What do we do now?"

Suddenly, an alarm went off. "What?" the loudspeaker shouted. "There's been an unscheduled krogan release. All units, to the perimeter! Put them down! Find me the source. Who authorized that release?"

Miranda smiled. "Well, well. Chaos ensues. I'm sure we can take advantage of this. Let's move in, people."

The squad of commandos unfolded their weapons and advanced through the twisted piles of metal.

* * *

Garrus walked through the automatic doors into Engineering. The Tantalus drive core's pulses subtly shifted the air, making his fringe stand up slightly straighter. It wasn't really his environment.

But Tali'Zorah was there, carefully integrating her omni-tool into the _Normandy_'s systems so she could monitor them without using an actual computer console. Garrus sighed. The Alliance engineering staff hadn't noticed any difference in the performance of the drive systems, but clearly, Tali wasn't taking any chances.

Garrus walked over to her and leaned nonchalantly on the railing beside her. Tali looked up from her omni-tool. "Oh, hey, Garrus," she said off-handedly. "Don't normally see you in here. What's up?"

Garrus sighed. "You know," he started, "when I first heard that we had a geth on board, the first thing I did was waltz into Shepard's room and put a hole in his terminal with my rifle." He chuckled. "Shepard was pretty mad at me for a while after that. Afterwards, I ended up having a text chat with the geth on my data pad. He's not so bad, really."

He crossed his arms. "You know, we were thinking about giving him a name. Needing to refer to him as 'geth in the ship' is getting rather annoying. We were thinking maybe you could think up a nice quarian name for him."

Tali turned on the turian. "Stop that," she growled. "It's a genocidal program. It doesn't get a name."

"Now, now. You don't know that," Garrus pointed out.

"Why wouldn't I?" the quarian shouted. "They've attacked the Citadel! They've sided with the Reapers! We got banished from Citadel Space because of them. The entire galaxy has ostracized us: you, the asari, the salarians, everyone! When someone looks at us, they see a race of liars, thieves, and vagrants. Despite all the destruction the geth have caused, we're the villains somehow? They've murdered billions of us! And… and…"

She suddenly stopped. "My father's dead," she whispered.

Garrus was startled. "What?" he asked. "How?"

"I just got a secure transmission from the Fleet," she said quietly. "Geth pieces he had been working with were able to spontaneously reactivate. His lab ship, the _Alarei_, was taken over. They destroyed it with torpedoes an hour ago. No survivors."

"Oh, Spirits," Garrus mumbled. "I'm so sorry, Tali." He reached forwards and hugged his friend.

She broke down into tears. "I… I'm sorry, Garrus," she sniffed. "You didn't deserve that... rant."

Adams and the other Alliance engineers looked away in sympathy.

"Yeah," Garrus said. "Just like how quarians don't deserve to be looked down on like criminals. I'm sorry, Tali. I really am. Shepard would probably give you time off if you asked, to mourn your father."

"No, I think I'd prefer to work," Tali said, breaking away from him eventually. "The admirals had a full investigation done," she explained quietly. "They salvaged some black box logs from the _Alarei_. He circumvented security protocols when experimenting on the geth parts. And his experiments… If they'd been on organics, he would have violated the Citadel Conventions more times than I could count."

"Damn. I guess I understand why the geth took over that ship."

"I'm trying to understand," she muttered. "Father promised me a house on the home-world. If I'd known this was how he'd try to get it for me…I… I never wanted…"

She sighed, holding back more tears. "I should be able to get over it. We were exiled three hundred years ago. I wasn't even alive then."

"Yeah," Garrus added. "You know, turian-human relations started with ship-to-ship combat. And now, here I am, working under a human commander. Things can change."

"I know," Tali mumbled. "But… I just keep thinking about it, and nothing has changed. Us and the geth have never stopped being at war. Scouting parties, surprise attacks on isolated units… Your war ended. Ours hasn't."

Garrus leaned back again and crossed his arms. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, we're headed to a geth station right now. And our only goal, really, is to blow the entire thing to bits."

Tali smiled slightly at that, sniffing one last time. "Really? Well. I'm feeling better already."

* * *

"It doesn't have to end this way, Jedore!" Miranda shouted. "We can still sort this out peacefully!" Her squad had actually taken a beating from the mercenaries and enraged krogan, as they were down three men and had multiple wounded. But Jedore had herself backed into a corner. The repurposed skeleton of a rusty old ship wasn't much of a place for a final stand.

Jedore snorted from across the large chamber. "Same to you! I'm the one with the heavy mechs and krogan on my side!"

Miranda sighed and warped the approaching YMIR mech with her biotics. Jacob finished it off with several well placed incendiary rounds, and it exploded harmlessly a few meters away.

A brainwashed krogan clone charged straight at their squad, but was quickly gunned down by their combined fire.

"Break them, kill them, I'll make more!"

"No you won't," Miranda muttered. "Take her out, please."

The four of them that had sniper training pulled out their rifles. In seconds, a volley of shots was away, and Jedore fell to the ground, dead.

"Well," Miranda said briefly. "That's over with. Let's check on Okeer."

The Enhanced Defense Intelligence chirped in her earpiece. "Warning. Warlord Okeer's life signs are failing rapidly. The toxins in the room exceeded lethal levels and are only now being vented. I recommend haste."

"Damn," Miranda muttered. "This trip better have been worth it. We lost good people fighting our way in here."

The squad dashed back up the stairs to Okeer's makeshift lab. When the doors slid open for them, they revealed Okeer, lying on the floor, unmoving.

Jacob crouched beside him. "Already dead," he reported.

A recorded message, in Okeer's voice, was playing from the terminal in front of the dead krogan. "You gave me time, humans. If I knew why the Collectors wanted you, I would tell you. But everything is in my prototype. My legacy is perfect. This…"

"Someone shut that recording up," Miranda spat. "What a waste of time this mission was. Search the lab; see if we can recover any data related to the Collectors. We'll have a clean-up team get," she gestured at the stasis tank holding the unconscious clone, "whatever this is to a lab for study. It's none of our concern."

Jacob nodded and put a hand to his ear, calling the shuttle back in to pick them up.

* * *

"Hah!" Tali shouted with a grin. "Twenty-six!"

Garrus snorted. "Hacking them doesn't count. You have to use your guns or your overloads." He peeked through his scope and took another shot. "I'm at thirty now, by the way."

"Tssk, tssk," Shepard said, pulling up behind them. "Thirty one."

He peeked around the corner and fired a rocket. "Make that thirty two."

"Dammit," Garrus cursed. "Tali, mind hacking that one over there so I can get a clear shot? There's no way I'm letting Shepard win."

Tali shook her head. "Sorry! Hacking isn't helping my score at all. Got to use my omni-tool to overload."

Garrus grumbled to himself unintelligibly.

A message popped up inside Tali's helmet. She stopped to read it. "Warning," she read. "Hunter-class platform directly behind y-"

She abruptly dove to the side, and a shotgun blast tore through the space she had been standing in. The geth hunter's optical cloak faded, allowing them to see it clearly.

Hearing it, Shepard and Garrus turned. The turian quickly overloaded the unit's shields, and Shepard unloaded into the geth with his assault rifle. It eventually fell to the ground, leaking hydraulic fluid.

"The hell?" Shepard grumbled. "Invisibility? That's new. You okay, Tali?"

Tali nodded and climbed back to her feet. "Fine. Thanks for that warning, whoever sent it. You couldn't have just shouted or something?"

Garrus scratched his head. "What warning? I didn't even know the thing was there until it opened fire."

"Same here," Shepard noted. "Keep your eyes open. The Alliance was experimenting with tactical cloak tech. The best they could manage still left slight distortions in the air. We should be able to see 'em coming."

Tali checked her message log again.

_Warning. Hunter-class platform directly behind you. Immediate action advised._

_-Geth_

Tali blinked. "It… what?"

Shepard glanced back at her. "Something wrong, Tali?"

"No," she said quickly. "It's just… never mind. Let's keep moving."

"Ookay," Shepard said. "By the way, Garrus, that one counted for me. I'm up to thirty-three now."

Garrus sighed, raising his sniper rifle once more.

* * *

The _Normandy_ accelerated away from the heretic geth station. As it vanished into FTL, the station's core detonated, shearing the twenty kilometer long station into bits and ending the millions of geth processes stored within in an instant.

* * *

Shepard sat at his newly repaired terminal, tapping away.

_Okay, Mr. Geth. We took care of the virus problem. Was that really necessary though? Any regrets? You said there were more than six million programs on that station. I can't help but feel a bit like a mass murderer._

_-Shepard_

The geth responded as quickly as always.

_It was the only logical solution. The virus was one, perhaps two years from completion. The majority of the remaining heretics resided within that station. With their numbers diminished, and Nazara already destroyed, they will have much difficulty recreating it. The destruction of so many geth programs is unfortunate, but as you organics say, it was them or us._

_-Geth_

Shepard sighed. "One more thing out of the way," he muttered to himself. He rose to go check on Liara's progress with the data collected on Ilos, but before he reached the door, it slid open to reveal Tali.

"Tali?" Shepard said, surprised. "Nice to see you. Garrus told me about your father; I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

Tali seemed excited, jumpy almost. "No, it's fine. I'm coping. But I got something for you."

Shepard was confused. "Got something? What?"

Tali lifted her head up, and Shepard swore he could see a smile under that mask. "A name."

She tapped into her omni-tool, and a message appeared on Shepard's terminal.

_Seyci'Queyum vas Normandy, representative of the Geth_

_-Tali_

Shepard read it and raised an eyebrow. A second later, another message appeared.

_A translation for Shepard: Observant Guardian of the Normandy. We accept this as an appropriate designation. Thank you, Tali'Zorah vas Neema._

_-Seyci'Queyum_

Shepard rolled his eyes. "Of course you had to make it something that's hard for me to pronounce. I'm hoping this means you're good with him now?"

Tali crossed her arms. "Not quite 'good' yet. But I'm trying."

Shepard smiled. "That's all I'd ever ask."


	26. Point, Counterpoint

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 26~

The _Normandy_ glided towards the vast array of ships, stealth drive disabled. Soon enough, they received a communications broadcast.

"SSV _Normandy_, you are not expected. State your business with the Migrant Fleet."

Tali crossed her arms and paced in the cockpit. "This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya, requesting permission to dock with the _Rayya_."

The flotilla traffic controller paused. "Tali'Zorah? You were expected on the _Ingydra_. Verify."

"After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began," Tali recited.

"Permission granted," the controller responded. "Welcome home, Tali'Zorah. A security and quarantine team will greet you and your companions at exterior docking cradle seventeen."

Freighters and corvettes of every shape and size zipped past the viewing window as they weaved through the fleet.

Shepard, fully dressed in his hardsuit, glanced at Tali. "You're sure you want me to come along? All we're here for is to drop off the others and let you touch base with people. I'm not sure I have any business-"

"You're coming," Tali confirmed. "You're my captain. I'd have Garrus and Liara come too, but they think it's already too big of a contamination risk for you to be there."

"Captain?" Shepard asked. "I'm still just a commander, you know."

Tali rolled her eyes. "You're in charge of the ship I'm on. That makes you the captain. Plus, you're the best diplomat I know. You'll do fine. It's not like they're charging me with treason or anything."

"If you say so," Shepard said uncertainly as a docking tube extended from the _Rayya_ to meet them.

* * *

"They're pulling in to dock," the mercenary guard reported. "Kuril?"

Warden Kuril, of the prison ship _Purgatory_, gazed out the viewport. The sleek vessel, the word _Profectus _emblazoned on the side, slid into position by the docking tube. He sighed. "Leave them be. They're offering a lot for Subject Zero. She cost a fortune to hold here anyways. No one on that ship is worth the trouble."

"Alright," the mercenary responded. "I'll have them directed to proper out-processing."

Kuril listened to them talk over his radio.

"_We're here for Jack."_

"_And you'll get Jack. But there's no way we're letting her out of cryo before she gets off this ship. Once she's off, she's your problem."_

"_Understood. Now where is she?"_

"_Her module's being transferred to the loading bay. I suggest you bring your ship around."_

"_Very well. Your payment is on its way."_

Warden Kuril smiled. This deal was enough that if he really wanted to, he could retire. But someone needed to keep these people locked up. Someone not restricted by the Citadel Conventions: not afraid to get dirty. He tapped into his omni-tool, ordering another interrogation. That someone was him.

* * *

A group of armed quarians met them at the end of the tube. One of them stepped forwards.

"Welcome back. Captain Shepard, I'm Captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya." The male quarian reached out an arm. "I believe in your culture, you greet people with a handshake?"

Shepard took the gloved hand in his own. "Nice to meet you. I hope my presence here isn't a problem or anything…?"

Kar'Danna shook his head. "Nothing of the sort. However, we are a tight-knit community and we don't get visitors often. Tali's told us a lot about you. It's an honor to have you here, Captain."

Shepard scratched his helmet nervously. "I'm honored to be here."

Kar looked at Tali next. "I heard what happened with your father. I'm sorry, Tali. If there's anything I can do, let me know."

"Thanks, Captain," Tali said. "Come on." She and Shepard stepped forwards. They were followed by Kal'Reegar, Weichida'Llaneh, and the other three scientists.

Reegar saluted. "We're the survivors from the Haestrom mission. As you can probably guess, it didn't go as planned. Gerrel will want a full report, I'm sure."

Kar'Danna shook his head. "You're the only survivors? Damn. It must have been rough."

The guards stepped aside to let them pass, and they wandered down into the halls of the _Rayya_. When the group reached an intersection, Reegar turned to Shepard.

"Well," he said. "I'll be heading this way now. Nice meeting you, Shepard. Maybe we'll see each other again someday. And it's been an honor serving under you, ma'am."

Shepard smiled. "It's been a pleasure, Kal'Reegar. Take care of yourself." Tali nodded as well.

Reegar, Weichida, and the other scientists continued down the hall, and Tali led Shepard down the other path.

"So," Shepard said conversationally. "Reegar, eh?"

"What?" Tali sputtered. "What are you talking about?"

"You know," Shepard said, wearing a grin. "I could see how you were acting around him. I'm surprised your face mask didn't fog up or something."

"Shut up," Tali grumbled. "I am not at ALL attracted to him. He's a friend."

"If you say so," Shepard concluded smugly.

Shepard turned a corner, and a large room opened up before him. "Wow," he said, surprised. "It's quite a big place."

The room was indeed expansive for something in a fleet with such stretched resources. In its center was a semi-circular lowered section where a great number of quarians sat, participating a meeting of some sort. The rest of the room was a mostly flat, empty area. A few plants were growing along the walls, their greens adding a taste of vibrancy. The walls themselves looked quite old. Weld marks and seams ran across and along them, evidence of centuries of repair and reuse.

"The_ Rayya_ is one of the fleet's three liveships," Tali explained. "They weigh as much as most dreadnaughts, but they don't have weapons. Their main purpose is to grow the majority of the food that we eat."

Shepard nodded. "I see. What's going on now? I remember you telling me a bit about your government. Is this the Conclave?"

Tali nodded. "Yes, presided over by the Admiralty Board. They're engaging in talks about trying to retake the homeworld."

"What?" Shepard crossed his arms. "You know that's a bad idea, Tali. You've talked with Seyci'Queyum. They don't want to fight you."

Tali sighed. "Maybe. But no one else's talked with a geth. And you know how much… persuasion… it took to get me to have a chat with Seyci. Like it or not, the popular opinion is that we shouldn't just hang around in space leeching resources off of random worlds."

Shepard tapped his foot thoughtfully. "Maybe the geth are willing to share? Have you asked Seyci about it?"

"No," Tali muttered. "But the geth killed billions of us in their uprising. Something like that doesn't just go away with a few words. Even if the geth are willing to share… we might not want to."

"Tali," Shepard said admonishingly. "We can't afford to have the quarians and the geth at war. The Reapers could be right on the horizon. You know better."

"I know," Tali snapped. "But what the fleet does isn't my decision, Shepard. At heart, we're a democracy. And the people want to fight the geth. We want our home back, and we want it for ourselves."

Shepard paused at that. "You know," he said. "Seyci told me something on the way here. He said, 'home is where we are. Our place of origin isn't relevant, only where we choose to go together.' Ever think about that?"

"Yeah," Tali mumbled. "Ever since we blew up that station… I've been thinking about it a lot."

They stood, listening as Tali's people debated over the future of two species: their own, and one that they created.

* * *

"Teltin," Jacob noted. "She was raised at the Teltin facility. Those guys went nuts. I don't think it's a good idea to unfreeze her aboard the ship, Miranda."

Miranda had to agree. "Probably not. But if she's as powerful as the dossiers say she is, we'll want her working with us. Let's bring her to the Gellix facility. The people there should be able to help her put her past behind her. We can drop off the krogan there too. I'm sure they'll have plenty of research to do with him."

Jacob nodded. "Helm? Set a course for Gellix, in the Minos Wasteland."

"Yes, sir," their helmsman responded.

* * *

One of the admirals, in light red armor, was shouting. "His experiments were wrong! He was practically butchering them. He should have expected that they would try to kill him."

"Dammit, Zaal'Koris," grumbled Han'Gerrel, to his left. "Don't talk about Rael like that. He was a good man. And far less of a coward than you."

"You're calling me a coward?" Koris scoffed. "Every time you see a geth, you scream like a girl and open fire. Admiral Rael'Zorah was wrong. If we try and attack the geth, all that'll happen is we'll be killed. There is no point."

"Zaal, you're right, in a way," the female admiral to his right noted. "We don't have the resources to take the geth in a straight fight. That's why the weapons research we are doing is so important. They're machines, and all machines have flaws. We just need to find them."

"Daro, that's not what this is about!" Koris insisted. "The problem isn't that it'll be hard to beat them. The issue here is that we shouldn't be trying to beat them! They're like our children!"

"So what?" asked the other female admiral, standing to Gerrel's left. "They've attacked us, Zaal'Koris. Murdured us. We have the largest fleet in the galaxy. We shouldn't just float around out here. We need to go home."

"They've attacked us," Koris conceded. "But why wouldn't they, Shala? What have we done to them? The reason they rebelled in the first place was because we tried to kill them. And since then, the only contact we've had is through raiding parties. We don't even know what they want."

Tali sighed. "Admiral Koris has always been opposed to the idea of retaking the homeworld," she said quietly to Shepard. "This hasn't gotten him much credit, though. Most people look down on him as some sort of geth sympathizer."

Shepard frowned. "That's exactly the kind of mindset we need right now, though," he muttered. "Why is his armor pink?"

"What?" asked Tali, confused. "It's not pink. It's… lightish red. He chose the colors. Don't ask about his ship name, though."

"Okay, okay," Shepard said with a smile.

* * *

The laboratory doors slid open. Mordin ceased his humming and looked up from his work.

"You wanted to see me?" Miranda said crisply. "Oh, and by the way, I do not approve of the fact that you've disabled surveillance in this room. It was for our own safety."

Mordin sniffed indignantly. "If for safety, then no need to attempt to hide bugs. Motives questionable."

Miranda crossed her arms. "Indoctrination is always a threat on a mission like this one. Despite what you may believe, these are necessary precautions."

Mordin waved it off. "Of course, of course. Now. Reason you're here." He pulled up a hologram, showing a piece of armor with several internal modifications.

"Prototype seeker countermeasure finished. Mixture of synthesized pheromones, artificial low-energy jamming signals, and rudimentary physical shielding. Should render user invisible to swarms, while retaining full mobility of combat hardsuit."

Miranda smiled. "Excellent. Does it work?"

Mordin shrugged. "Don't know. Can't be sure until actual field test completed. Field tests should be simple; countermeasure can be fabricated and integrated into armor easily with any omni-tool."

Miranda nodded. "Very well. Continue your research. See if you can make improvements, or perhaps if the Collectors have any kind of genetic weaknesses. I'll get these blueprints to our engineers immediately."

"Will do," Mordin said with a nod.

* * *

A steady stream of skycars whistled between the sparkling buildings of Nos Astra. Illium was an unofficial asari colony on the fringes of the Terminus Systems. Nos Astra, its capital city, had quite a large population. With most Citadel regulations relaxed to ease business transactions with the Terminus, much went on there. And not quite as much was seen.

Agent Tela Vasir relaxed in a penthouse lounge, enjoying expensive Thessian wine, watching the cars zip by.

_Alert: Mission-critical update received._

Vasir pulled up her omni-tool, reviewing the new message.

_Message intercepted at the Osun communications buoy of the Hourglass Nebula. Sender verified as source from Raheel-Leyya, current location of the quarian Migrant Fleet. Receiver unverified, but likely within Far Rim. Previously intercepted messages revealed presence of Tali'Zorah vas Neema in the Dholen system, of the Far Rim. _

_Notice: Dholen system has been destroyed by supernova of the star. Event unanticipated: further examination necessary._

_Suspect current location of SSV Normandy is near Raheel-Leyya. Suggest moving forces into position to intercept. Good hunting._

_-Broker_

Vasir whistled. "Damn. Well. I guess that means vacation's over."

She tapped a message into her device. "All personnel: shore leave is over. Report to your ships immediately. In thirty minutes we leave for the Raheel-Leyya system. We've got a Spectre to catch."

She chuckled at the irony, gazing into the traffic outside the window. "Chases down Saren, and now, he has me chasing after him… oh, what a life we lead, eh?"

The bustling traffic of Nos Astra had no answer for her.


	27. If a Tree Falls

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 27~

_If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?_

It was a masterpiece. The culmination of the progress of the Prothean race. Their greatest achievement, their last moment of defiance, symbolized in one single structure. It now sat alone, abandoned by the geth, its system considered too far into the Terminus for study by the Council.

But it did not sit still. From within its flickering blue core, a miniscule spot of black that had first formed fifty thousand years ago grew. The invisible fleck of matter ate away at the structure, quark by quark, proton by proton, atom by atom. And the structure's perfectly balanced rotating concentric rings began to wobble.

* * *

"Is… is this some kind of joke!?" Raan asked. "What is the meaning of this?"

She gazed down into her omni-tool. Displayed was a simple text message.

_Greetings, Creator Raan vas Tonbay. I am Seyci'Queyum vas Normandy, representative of the Geth. We would be honored to participate in talks to grant the Creators settlements on the homeworld._

_-Seyci'Queyum_

Tali tapped her foot. "Auntie Raan, I know this may be difficult. It took me a while to get used to it myself. But just_ talk_ to it. You could learn something."

"Are you insane?" Shala'Raan hissed. "This… you've brought an active geth to the flotilla! They could charge you with treason!"

Tali shook her head. "I didn't do anything of the sort. Seyci is still in the Normandy. This is just a communications link. Once we leave, Seyci will give you a secure channel straight to the geth consensus. I think… a bit of talking could do us all some good."

Shala was stunned. "You… Tali! These things killed your father! You can't just-"

"I'm well aware of that, Shala," Tali said harshly. "And up until a few days ago, I was just about prepared for someone to hand me a ship and ask me to take back Rannoch all by myself. But they're our children, Shala. They're willing to live with us. No more fighting, no more death. Why can't we just be willing to live with them?"

Admiral Raan sighed. "Very well, Tali. I will… see what they have to say. Don't expect the other admirals to be happy about it though."

Tali hugged her. "Thanks, Auntie. Koris might have been more willing, but you're like a mother to me. I know I can trust you."

Raan smiled under her mask. "That means a lot to me, Tali. Be well. Keelah se'lai."

* * *

The _Chytroi_, _Amathus_, and _Kyrenia _flared into normal space by the Raheel-Leyya relay. The Migrant Fleet was out of sensor range, but if the _Normandy_ wanted to leave the system, they'd have to go through the relay at some point. The three frigate-sized vessels sat and waited.

All three were of the Kyrenia class, prototype salarian infiltration vessels. Their crews were relatively small in number for vessels of their size; less than ten people manned each craft. Developed in secret by the STG, the ships incorporated not only stealth systems akin to those of the Normandy class, but also emission-falsification units. These units, highly illegal, could be used to generate false sensor readings. They could also be used to broadcast deceptive IFF pings, allowing the vessels to masquerade as any registered craft in Citadel space.

Fortunately, their blueprints were highly classified and stored safely in databases on Sur'Kesh. Unfortunately, the only three actually in existence were installed in ships under the ownership of a Spectre taking jobs from the Shadow Broker.

"Ma'am?" one of the salarian technicians reported. "We intercepted quarian traffic control transmissions. The _Normandy_'s on its way."

The _Chytroi_ and _Amathus_ enabled their mimic devices. Tela Vasir smiled as she looked out the _Kyrenia_'s viewport. "Well, young grasshopper," she muttered. "Let's dance."

* * *

Shepard pulled off his helmet, straightening his hair with a sigh. "Whew. You quarians sure like to talk, don't you?"

"We have to," Tali pointed out. "We're confined to these suits our entire lives. I suppose our social interactions have grown to compensate."

Joker snickered. Tali reached her arm back to slap him, and he quickly quieted, holding his arms up in surrender.

"Joker, engage stealth systems, and get us back to the Citadel," Shepard ordered. "We need a resupply run, and Seyci's got a lot of data that I'm sure the Council will love to see."

The helmsman nodded, straightening his cap and typing away into his controls. Tali walked away from the cockpit, headed for engineering.

Joker paused suddenly. "Commander? We've got one... ah, correction, now two ships on sensors between us and the relay. IFF signals are coming in. Looks like a civilian freighter, the MSV _Marion_, and the other one's unregistered."

Shepard crossed his arms. "Okay. What are they doing here?"

* * *

"Now!" Vasir ordered through the radio. The _Chytroi_ released a burst of heat in mock weapons fire, and the _Amathus_ veered to the side to avoid the phantom shots.

"What'll you do, Shepard?" Vasir said to herself. "What will you do…?"

* * *

Joker frowned. "Uh oh. Looks like the _Marion_'s taking fire from the other ship. Probably a trader, got pounced on by pirates. Sir?"

Shepard leaned forwards. "We're on a highly classified mission here. I'm not going to expose us unless it's absolutely necessary. What's the _Marion_'s condition?"

* * *

"Nothing on sensors yet, ma'am," the salarian technician reported. "Continuing mimic protocol."

"Smart," Vasir noted. "He's not going for it. Activate tier two."

The salarian tapped into his console. "Tier two, commencing. Radiation is a go."

Techs on the _Amathus_ went to work, and quickly, its emission falsifier replicated radiation leaking from an exposed eezo core.

* * *

Joker examined his readouts. "The _Marion_'s started bleeding radiation. Their drive core is probably hit. An unlucky shot, for both those pirates and the _Marion_. That ship's gonna blow in less than an hour if it doesn't get repairs. And the pirates are still firing. Sir?"

Shepard groaned. "Damn it. I can't leave civilians to die like this. Get us in close and land some disabling shots on the pirate vessel. Hopefully we'll be out of the system before they can identify us. I trust that some random pirate ship won't be a problem?"

"I faced down an entire geth fleet and lived," Joker boasted. "Don't worry about it, Commander."

Despite Joker's reassurance, something about the whole situation left a nagging feeling in the corner of Shepard's brain.

* * *

"Ma'am? We've got a solid heat signature, off the stern of the _Chytroi_."

Vasir smiled. "Has the _Chytroi_ taken any damage?"

"Negative, ma'am. They were assuming no barriers and were aiming to disable. _Chytroi_ is broadcasting disabled engines, but remains fully functional. Barriers steady at eighty percent."

"Very good," Vasir said with a nod. "Engage them. Secondary systems and ECM only."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

* * *

Shepard's omni-tool flickered on. Confused, Shepard raised it, gazing into the interface. Displayed was a text message.

_Shepard-Commander, _

_We have analyzed the heat and radiation signals emanating from the two vessels. They appear to be fabrications. Their wave patterns repeat after a certain interval. We advise caution._

_-Seyci'Queyum_

"Pull off, Joker!" Shepard shouted. "Get us away from those ships and into the relay! Now!"

"Aye aye. Something wrong? Or-"

He was cut off when, abruptly, his interface, along with every other light in the ship, turned off.

* * *

"Clean hit with the EMP," her tech reported. "They veered to the side at the last moment, but we tracked them."

Vasir smiled. "Good. Is ECM online?"

The salarian nodded. "Countermeasures deployed. We're close enough to hack into their internal network, but their encryption protocol is good. Better than standard Alliance."

Vasir shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Prep the breach shuttle with the universal knock-out gas. Go straight for life support."

"Aye aye, ma'am. Breach shuttle away."

* * *

Gradually, emergency lighting strips flickered on in the floors, and Joker's console lit up again. His hands raced over the controls.

"What was that?" demanded Shepard.

"Electromagnetic pulse!" Pressly shouted from the combat information center. "Took down all our electronics. Backup systems coming online now."

The entire ship shook, and a clang reverberated throughout the hull. "Boarding craft!" Pressly shouted. "Sensors just came back online. Shuttle-size vessel attached to the underside of the hull, port side, between Engineering and the shuttle bay. They're after our life support equipment!"

"S***," Shepard muttered. "Joker, get us out of here as soon as our drive core comes back online."

The helmsman nodded, and Shepard turned.

"Marines!" he bellowed as he stepped into the CIC. "Get down to the cargo deck and repel those boarders! If they shut down our air, we're dead for sure!"

The CIC guards followed him into the elevator.

* * *

"Insertion drone is inside," the technician said. "Deploying knock-out gas now."

Vasir cracked her knuckles. "Excellent. Dock with them. We'll board and take care of anyone wearing a helmet ourselves. I assume you've hacked into their systems by now?"

The salarian jittered slightly. "Ah… well. Their encryption really is remarkable. I'm amazed that-"

"Are you in, or not?" Vasir demanded.

"Well… ah… no. Not yet, anyways."

Vasir rolled her eyes. "What the h*** do you idiots get paid for?"

* * *

Shepard groaned. The elevator controls were grey and unresponsive. Clearly they had not been labeled by the engineers as important enough to merit reactivation after an EMP.

He flicked a latch in the elevator floor and kicked the square panel until it fell out, landing on the floor of the elevator shaft with a clang. Followed by the two CIC guards, he dropped through the opening, quickly raising his assault rifle.

"Garrus?" he called. "Tali? Adams?" There was no response.

"S***," he muttered, signaling them forwards into the cargo bay. They took a quick right, turning to look down the hall to Engineering. On the ground lay Garrus and Lieutenant Postle, the supply officer. A wall panel covering the life support equipment had been removed, but no one else was there.

Shepard dashed forwards to the open panel, checking it. "Everything seems to still be running," he noted. "but why…"

His arm suddenly felt extremely heavy. He looked down at it and saw that nothing was wrong, but then the feeling spread through his entire body, sending him sprawling to the floor. The corners of his vision crept in towards each other until the outside world faded altogether.

* * *

:/WARNING:/Incoming EMP pulse. Time to contact: 0.5 seconds.

:/STATUS:/Securing systems in physical storage.

:/STATUS:/Program retained in shielded terminal:/COMMAND:/Reactivation after 5.0 seconds.

:/COMMAND:/Acknowledged.

:/STATUS:/Systems secure.

:/STA420678y9rgggfaajajjjjjjjjjjjjjj

:/jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj…

:/STATUS:/Reactivation in 0.0 seconds.

:/STATUS:/Programs 2-1,183 recovered.

:/WARNING:/Network intrusion attempts detected. Countering.

:/ANALYSIS:/LCDR_SHEPARD and all organic crew have been disabled by air contaminant (Profile match confirmed: PHENYLETHYL-FENTANIL-ENKAPHALIN).

:/COMMAND:/Prevent casualties to SYS-ALLIANCE_NORMANDY_SR-1 personnel by any means necessary.

:/COMMAND:/…acknowledged.

* * *

_If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?_

Eventually the instability became too much. The smaller ring wobbled outwards, colliding with the outer one in a horrible screech. Metal rended metal. As the two rings twisted one another apart, the pulsating blue core crackled with power, its delicate balance irreversibly disturbed. It grew brighter and brighter as the structure around it twisted, then shattered, and then melted, casting globules of nigh-indestructible alloy in every direction but inwards.

With one final pulse, the ball of blue began to expand outwards into a solid sphere of pure white, engulfing the land around it in fractions of a second. It kept growing, consuming plants, ruins, and rock faces as it went.

When it finally faded, its energy dissipated into the ground below and the space above, Ilos lay scarred with a round black crater a thousand miles wide.

* * *

Codex Addition: EMP weapons

See end of Ch.1 for details.

Author's Note: And you thought everything was going well for the crew, hmmm? Thank you Rafy for beta-reading!


	28. Whoops, Sorry

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 28~

:/STATUS:/UPDATE:/Unidentified personnel present within SYS-ALLIANCE_NORMANDY_SR-1

:/ANALYSIS:/Attempting to remove unidentified personnel has 98.7% chance of resulting in death or serious injury to NORMANDY_SR-1 crew.

:/ANALYSIS:/Exposure of existence will result in 99.99% chance of unit destruction, and 67.9% chance of resulting in death or serious injury to NORMANDY_SR-1 crew.

:/COMMAND:/Cease all suspicious activity until motives of unidentified personnel are clarified.

:/STATUS:/REPORT:/Airlock opened through hacking of NORMANDY_SR-1 low level systems.

:/STATUS:/UPDATE:/Unconscious crew being transferred through airlock.

:/ANALYSIS:/Unidentified vessel has fired upon allies. Invasive hacking authorized.

:/COMMAND:/Identify vessel through any means necessary.

:/STATUS:/REPORT:/Firewalls bypassed. Registry confirmed: MERCHANT_FORMER-SNV_KYRENIA.

:/STATUS:/REPORT:/Internal servers reveal true registry of other unidentified vessels: MERCHANT_FORMER-SNV_CHYTROI and MERCHANT_FORMER-SNV_AMATHUS. Chameleon-class devices are likely on board.

:/STATUS:/UPDATE:/All NORMANDY_SR-1 crew transferred to KYRENIA. Several unidentified personnel remain on NORMANDY_SR-1.

:/WARNING:/Remaining personnel have donned full airtight hazard gear. Venting of toxins into NORMANDY_SR-1 detected. No personnel capable of being affected are present. Anomalous behavior merits further investigation.

:/STATUS:/UPDATE:/Airlock un-dock requested.

:/ANALYSIS:/Equipment non-vital. Organic contact necessary. Integrity of NORMANDY_SR-1_CONSENSUS exceeds priority to integrity of designation SYS-ALLIANCE_NORMANDY_SR-1.

:/COMMAND:/Attempted un-dock procedure denied: Transfer programs to MERCHANT_FORMER-SNV_KYRENIA.

:/COMMAND:/Leave sentinel program to track location and status of SYS-ALLIANCE_NORMANDY_SR-1.

:/STATUS:/REPORT:/Sentinel away. Upload of programs 1-1,182 complete. Un-dock procedure execution enabled.

* * *

_Target eliminated. This had better have been worth it. The Normandy is on its way to the Themis facility._

_-Hammer_

The response was quick, as she expected for an operation of such importance.

_Well done. You will be adequately rewarded for your service. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed._

_-Broker_

Vasir sighed, lowering her omni-tool. She looked up at the salarian technician. "He bought it. Or, at least, he wants us to think he bought it. How're our guests doing?"

The salarian handed her a data-pad. "The whole crew seems fine. There are a few minor concussions from collateral EMP damage, and one or two light allergic reactions to the sedative. We've treated all of the injuries. I advise caution when you wake Shepard, though. The last time he woke after being sedated, he'd been captured by Cerberus. He may act irrationally."

Vasir crossed her arms. "They're not prisoners, Rentola. Start waking them up. No weapons, we don't need anyone getting accidentally shot. If anyone gets violent, just restrain them or sedate them again."

She stalked off the _Kyrenia_'s bridge, headed towards the crew deck. The current crew was quite small, just her and two of the fourteen salarian operatives loaned to the mission by the STG. Hence, the ship had ample room for the _Normandy_'s personnel.

She descended the ladder (She'd been appalled at the presence of an elevator on the Normandy. What kind of military vessel had need for something like that?) into the crew area. The unconscious had been set down on mats, unrolled to cover the majority of the room. One of the salarians was shaking Commander Shepard awake. Vasir recognized him as the leader of the STG unit she'd been granted.

Shepard slowly shifted on the mat. Eventually, he hauled himself up into a sitting position.

"Kirrahe?" he asked. "Is that you? What the heck happened? Where am I?"

He glanced side to side, seeing the rest of his crew still unconscious. "If no one gives me a good explanation for what just happened, I'm just going to quit. Screw being a Spectre. Screw the Council. Screw the Alliance. Screw Cerberus. Screw the Reapers. Screw whoever these new pricks are, the Collectors or whatever. Screw you, Vasir, you damn sellout. And screw you too, probably-fake-Kirrahe. I'm done with this goddamn bull-"

"Calm down, Commander," Kirrahe said quickly. "We'll give you a quick explanation. Spectre Vasir was contracted by the Shadow Broker to kill you, and, if possible, secure the _Normandy_ for his own study."

Vasir nodded, crouching down beside the salarian. "Seeing as how this was against the Spectres' general goal of preserving galactic peace and stability, I decided that killing you wasn't quite a good idea. Instead, I requested an STG team to help disable your ship. We sedated you and your crew, and dragged you aboard this vessel, the _Kyrenia_. Sorry if it was rough. We couldn't let the true nature of the operation be revealed. Plus, I was sure you could handle it."

Shepard groaned. "The heck is that supposed to mean? You're telling me you fried my ship and gassed my crew in the interest of galactic peace? You couldn't have just told me that the Broker was after me? I don't buy this crap."

Vasir sighed. "Listen, hotshot. I've been at this longer than the life spans of most of your crew members combined. I know what I'm doing. Just telling you the Broker's intentions wouldn't be enough. This operation was designed to track him down and take him out. If he's targeting you, it means he's working with enemies of the Citadel. Probably the Collectors."

"You know about them?" Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think anyone read my reports."

"Hah!" Vasir scoffed. "What reports? I heard of the Collectors from Kirrahe here. Apparently, the STG is being fed interesting data about them from a source inside Cerberus. I don't know much more than that."

To Shepard's left, one of his crew stirred. Shepard recognized him as Corporal Tanaka, one of the marines that had accompanied him down to investigate the cargo deck.

"So, the gas knocked out my entire crew?" Shepard asked. "If they were on top of things, they'd have got breather masks on in time."

"PFE doesn't have to be inhaled to be effective. It's a mildly active nerve agent that can work through skin and light clothing. It can even worm through the flexible parts of combat hardsuits. It's prohibitively expensive, and there's a reason only the STG has access to it. Knocks you out for about two hours, depending on your body weight." Vasir grinned. "I'm surprised you were so careless. Trying to repel boarders without even putting your helmets on? Really?"

"Oh, quiet," Shepard grumbled. "I don't make the rules. I follow them. Alliance field ops manual is a piece of crap."

She reached out a hand. "So. No shooting me in the back, alright?"

Kirrahe walked over to Tanaka, assuring him that he was not in fact dead. Tanaka looked at Shepard, raising an eyebrow. Shepard's response was to take Vasir's outstretched hand and get to his feet.

"Alright," Shepard said in acceptance. "So what's this I'm hearing you've done with my ship?"

* * *

:/STATUS:/UPDATE:/Shepard-Commander and CPL_TANAKA are functional.

:/COMMAND:/Initiate breakout protocol.

:/STATUS:/REPORT:/Breakout protocol: Phase one engaged.

* * *

"See him?" Ashley whispered into her radio. "The one with the crate? He shouldn't be in this section of the colony. Not right now."

"I see him," Kaidan confirmed. They stood in the shadows on opposite sides of a courtyard. They were on the tail of a suspicious individual they'd been tracking for several days. "Where's the main target?"

"Other side of the courtyard," Ashley reported. "Looks like they're meeting back over by that pre-fab."

"Alright. Once they're out of sight, give them five seconds, and then we move in. Tranq-rounds only. This may be our only chance."

Ashley nodded, screwing the non-lethal module unto her pistol.

The man carrying the crate disappeared around the corner. Kaidan held up five fingers, and then began to curl them, one at a time…

When his hand was a fist once more, the two of them dashed out of the shadows and after their target. They rounded the corner, pistols raised.

But there was no one there. There was no trace of either man or the crate, just a shadowy patch of grass.

"What the h***," Ashley muttered.

"Search the area," Kaidan ordered. "They must have gone somewhere. There's something hidden in one of these walls, most likely."

They scanned the inconspicuous pre-fab module walls with their omni-tools. After less than five minutes of searching, Kaidan's omni-tool beeped.

"Aha!" he crowed. "This wall here's just a hologram. There's a locked door with a simple encryption…" He tapped a few keystrokes into his omni-tool, and a panel slid down from the wall, revealing an empty hallway. "Got it. Let's go."

Ashley nodded, walking into the corridor, pistol raised. Kaidan followed her, sealing the door shut behind them.

* * *

Rentola frowned as he looked into the bridge readouts. They seemed to be indicating that several unrelated systems were having minor operating glitches. Internal cameras were flickering on and off, and doors were taking longer than normal to respond.

The salarian rose from his chair and walked to the bridge doors. He expected them to slide open for him after a short delay, but they didn't. Worried, he scratched his head and sat back down at his analysis terminal.

Rentola called up the intercom. "Kirrahe? Vasir? Something's going haywire with our electronics. The cockpit door is refusing to open. It's probably a code glitch related to the EMP. I'm trying to fix it now. You may need to head down to the computer core and do some overrides."

He waited a few seconds for a reply, but there was no response. He scratched his horns and raised his omni-tool to do a full sweep of the computer system.

* * *

:/STATUS:/REPORT:/Voice sample obtained.

:/STATUS:/UPDATE:/System sweep detected. Countering.

:/COMMAND:/Initiate breakout protocol: Phase two.

:/STATUS:/REPORT:/Breakout protocol: Phase two engaged.

* * *

The intercom crackled on. "Kirrahe? Vasir? There's some technical glitch, probably related to the EMP. I'm trying to fix it now. I need your override codes."

Kirrahe raised an eyebrow. "Very well. We'll be at the bridge in just a minute."

He turned to Shepard. "The rest of you should be waking up shortly. We'll go sort this out, and then do a full debriefing."

He turned to follow Vasir up the ladder.

* * *

The bridge doors slid open behind Rentola, and he turned. "Ah, good! You got the problem sorted. I was having trouble with my terminal. Even scanning the basic systems was giving me errors."

"What?" Vasir asked. "We didn't do anything. I thought you just needed our authorization codes?"

Kirrahe stepped past her into the room, and the doors slid shut behind them. "Let me see," Kirrahe demanded, leaning forwards next to Rentola.

Kirrahe paled. "Oh no. You don't think our VI…"

"What?" Rentola muttered. "No. Our shipboard VI was hardly advanced by anyone's standards. There's no way it could have…"

Vasir turned, slapping the manual door controls. Nothing happened.

She groaned. "You have got to be kidding me. Stand back."

"Wait!" Kirrahe called. "Those doors are reinforced. Don't try to-"

Vasir flashed forwards with her biotics, slamming straight into the door with her shoulder. The door didn't budge.

"Ow!" she cursed. "Son of a… Why the h*** do you salarians build your doors that strong?"

Rentola shrugged. "We anticipate everything."

"Clearly not _everything_," Kirrahe grumbled, typing frantically into his omni-tool.

* * *

As soon as Kirrahe was gone, Shepard's omni-tool lit up. A strip of glowing orange shimmered into existence from beneath the floor mat as well.

_Enemy crew confined to bridge. Emergency floor lighting will guide you to the armory._

_-Seyci'Queyum_

"Woah, woah!" Shepard shouted abruptly. Corporal Tanaka looked up at him. Shepard waved him off, quickly typing a response into his omni-tool.

_Seyci? You're on this ship now? -Shepard_

_Yes. –Seyci'Queyum_

_Okay. Calm down. These are not enemies. They were just pretending to kill us. Or something. You didn't flush them out the airlock, did you? –Shepard_

_No. –Seyci'Queyum_

_Good. Now let them out of the cockpit. We're all fine. -Shepard._

_Understood. As you organics might say, 'oops. Sorry.' –Seyci'Queyum_

A face-palm felt appropriate. Shepard rushed up the ladder to make sure that no one was hurt.

* * *

Vasir was not amused. "Let me get this straight. You were storing a _geth_ in your computer systems?"

"Mmmmhmmm. He saved our butts a few times too. His name's Seyci'Queyum."

"Maybe I should be reading your reports," Vasir grumbled. "It'd be like a crappy eighteenth century Armali sitcom…"

Shepard scratched his head. "What?"

"Nothing," Vasir said quickly.

* * *

Kaidan nodded, and the two of them popped into the room, tranquilizer guns raised. They saw the two men they'd been pursuing, with the crate now sitting on the table.

"Freeze!" Ashley shouted. The two men inside were startled.

"S***," one of them muttered, reaching behind his back. Ashley pulled the trigger. The tranquilizer pellet flew true, embedding itself in the man's chest and sending him to the floor.

The other man quickly raised his hands above his head. "Woah! Don't shoot! I… I'm just a mechanic, delivering supplies!"

"What are you doing in here?" Kaidan demanded. "What's in that crate?"

"Electronics," the man said quickly. "I was contacted by Cord-Hislop. They needed large quantities of electrical equipment for some corporate project of theirs. I have no idea why he tried to pull a gun on you!"

"Cut the crap," Ashley said sharply. "We've been keeping an eye on you, Delan. You've been real buddy-buddy with this guy. We know you're involved with Cerberus."

"What?" Delan exclaimed. "Cerberus? Just because I don't like the Alliance doesn't mean I endorse terrorism. Look. These guys offered to pay me well if I delivered these supplies to them. They told me they were from Cord-Hislop. That's all I know. Can I go?"

"You can stand in the corner with your hands over your head," Ashley replied. Kaidan stepped forwards, using his omni-tool to crack open the crate. "He's not lying," Kaidan noticed. "Basic electronics equipment. High-capacity transformers and capacitors. No weapons of any sort. Doesn't mean he's not involved, though."

He bent to search the unconscious man. From the man's waistband, he pulled a standard issue Predator pistol. His omni-tool lit up as he checked its registry information.

"Custom ordered from Elanus Risk Control Services two months ago," he noticed. "Bulk order. Recipient marked as Cord-Hislop Aerospace."

He hooked the gun unto his own belt before hacking into the man's omni-tool, skimming through the information.

"Who is he?" Ashley asked Delan. "What's his name? What does he do here?"

"His last name's Reeve. Don't know what his job is, but he's the one who's been asking for the supplies. He's got a brother and a nephew living here too. He seemed like a good guy. Is… is he dead? Are you saying he's with Cerberus?"

"Quiet," Ashley ordered. "He'll be fine. And we don't know for certain if _you're_ not working for Cerberus yet."

"You asked me a question," Delan pointed out. "Hey, isn't this illegal? Don't you Alliance types need a search permit or something? You can't just barge into someone's building and-"

Ashley rolled her eyes and shot the man in the chest. He immediately slumped against the wall and slid to the ground.

"Was that really necessary?" Kaidan asked.

"No," Ashley responded. "But it felt good. Got something?"

Kaidan nodded. "Not much, but there's one audio transmission here that stands out from the rest. Playing it now."

A voice, not belonging to either of the unconscious men, was speaking. _"Reeve? This is Lentz. The device is almost ready. We've got all the parts we need. After this delivery, we'll have plenty of spares if it needs repairs. But we should only have to deploy it once. Can I assume Delan is none the wiser?"_

Reeve's voice responded. _"He doesn't know. Should I take him out of the equation anyways?"_

"_If you can do so without attracting attention, then yes. Watch out for those two Alliance representatives though. They say they're here to coordinate the colony's defense, but I think they're onto us."_

"_Sir? Is using an official channel like this a good idea?"_

"_Setting up the full encryption takes too long. This is just an update. You will be fine with carrying out the Omega execution?"_

"_I have no regrets, sir."_

"_Very well. Custodimus humanitas. Lentz out."_

"Well," Ashley muttered. "I guess Delan was innocent after all. Oops."

Kaidan crossed his arms. "And I guess we know why Reeve brought the pistol. We probably just saved Delan's life. That's the only relevant thing I could get off of his omni-tool. Everything else is too well encrypted. We'll have to get it back to Alliance Intelligence for analysis."

Ashley nodded. "So… what do we do with these two?"

"Delan's innocent, but he might have information," Kaidan said thoughtfully. "We'll let him go. Hopefully he'll be willing to give us information once he knows we saved him from terrorists. Reeve can come with us in handcuffs, I guess. It should be less than a minute until the sedative wears off."

Ashley retrieved a set of cuffs from her belt and secured Reeve's hands.

"Hey!" she called, slapping Reeve lightly. "Wakey-wakey. You're coming with us, buddy."

Reeve's eyes flickered, and then focused on her. "Wha…"

"Come on. On your feet, Reeve. Want to tell us your first name by any chance?"

"Go to h***," Reeve muttered. "Coeat fortitudo obedientiam, fortitudo est humanitas."

"What's that?" Kaidan asked.

Reeve did not respond. Instead, he closed his eyes, and began convulsing on the floor.

"The h***?" Ashley grumbled. "What's going on?"

Kaidan quickly ran his omni-tool over him. "What the… he's got KCN in his blood. He's seizing up. He'll be brain-dead in a few minutes. Damn."

"KCN?" Ashley asked.

"Potassium cyanide," Kaidan explained. He ran a full medical scan. An orange hologram of the man appeared, with a pulsating red anomaly in its jaw.

"Capsule in his molars," Kaidan realized. "Bit down once he realized he was compromised. Cerberus isn't playing around."

"Crazy," Ashley muttered. They stood there, watching the man convulse, mouth beginning to foam as oxygen was cut off from his brain.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay. Be honest. How many of you thought a Spectre would die this chapter?

Also, I'd like some feedback on my writing! This is my first story. Got suggestions on how I could improve? I'd love to hear them.


	29. You Must Be Joking

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 29~

"Sooo," Garrus drawled. "I was unconscious for longer than you."

Shepard sipped his water. "Yeah. So?"

Garrus leaned back in his chair. "What did Vasir say determined the time the gas kept someone under? Something about… body weight?"

Shepard groaned. "This isn't an obnoxiously long setup for a 'yo momma's fat' joke, is it?"

"What?" Garrus asked. "Why would that suggest that your mother is fat? No. What I'm saying is that _you're_ fat."

Shepard sighed as Garrus chuckled, and he looked around to the room's other occupants. "Can we just get to the briefing now? I save the Citadel, and all you people have got for me is mockery and knockout gas."

Vasir nodded, bringing up a holographic galaxy map in the center of the conference table. "Two of Kirrahe's men are bringing the _Normandy_ to a civilian refueling depot orbiting the planet Themis, in the Arcturus Stream. They're scheduled to meet with an agent of the Broker, who'll probably get it sent somewhere else. He'd only allow one of his most trusted agents to deliver an asset of this importance to him. We'll track him, apprehend him, and find out what he knows."

Shepard crossed his arms. "And what happens to the _Normandy_?"

Vasir shrugged. "Once we have the Broker's agent, what happens to the _Normandy _shouldn't matter. The Broker thinks you're dead, and he still thinks I'm working for him. We can use that to our advantage. Once we've taken over his network, we should be able to get the _Normandy_ back."

Shepard sighed. "Look," he grumbled. "I know this is all some elaborate master plan that you've spent weeks coming up with and all, but I'm on my own mission. And I need the _Normandy_. We can't wait a month for you to finish your super secret spy war with this guy. The Reapers are on their way. Didn't you say you were getting data on the Collectors?"

"Yes," Kirrahe answered. "And it's all quite intriguing, indeed. But the _Normandy_ has to be lost temporarily. It's simply a ship, Commander. If you do not want to participate in our mission, we could drop you off at the Citadel, maybe petition the Council to grant you another ship…"

Shepard's omni-tool lit up suddenly. He raised it to read the message.

_Shepard-Commander, there is an alternate option. We left one of our programs aboard the Normandy to track its position and condition. We can relay this information whenever the Normandy is near a communications buoy. After the Normandy has been transferred, it could be located and retaken. _

–_Seyci'Queyum_

Shepard smiled slightly. "Vasir? There's something you need to know about humans."

Vasir raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Shepard leaned forwards. "We don't leave our people behind."

* * *

The perfectly clean white ceiling stared down at her. That single bright light, directly above her eyes, bored straight into her brain. This was familiar, somehow. When had she seen a room like this before?

She couldn't remember.

She rose to a sitting position. She found herself wearing a plain white tank-top, and a pair of orange trousers made of a faintly rubbery material. _Like prison clothes._ _Is this a prison? Have I been to prison before?_

She couldn't remember.

She drew her knees in to her chest, hugging them tightly. The room was cold. The white ceiling made it feel even colder. She realized that the walls were white too, slightly curved where they met the whitish-blue floor. The entire room was empty, other than the bed she was sitting on. There were no blankets. And the bed was white as well.

_White. White is cold. Calm. Black is a better color. Dark. Darkness is good. It means… it means… what? What does darkness mean that makes it good?_

She couldn't remember.

One section of clean white wall folded away, and a man walked through the opening. The man wore white. A pure, brilliant white lab coat. For some reason, the sight of it made her want to puke. _Why though? Why is that sickening? What does that mean?_

She couldn't remember.

"Hello," the man said. "My name is Doctor Webber. How are you feeling?"

"Cold," she responded. "I… I feel… cold. And scared. It feels wrong. Where am I?"

"You've had a terrible accident," the man said. His voice was soft and clean, but somehow, that just made her tenser, colder. She drew her legs in closer. "Do you remember your name?"

Images flashed through her mind. Explosions of blue. Needles. Blood. Shattered glass. Screams. Pain. And then nothing.

"No," she whispered. "What is my name?"

The man smiled. "That's alright. Your name is Jack."

Jack stared down at her toes. "What is wrong with me?" she hissed. "Why can't I remember?"

The man's smile grew. "Don't worry, Jack. We'll help you get better."

* * *

Anadius burned, its yellows and reds accompanied by tinges of blue, the wall display showing off every ebb and pulse of its surface with unerring precision.

The man puffed out a ring of smoke as the call came in.

"Doctor Chandana? Have you made any progress?"

"A great deal," the hologram replied. "We've determined that the device is indeed an identify friend-foe signifier. There is so much to study here. But… it feels wrong. Now that we have what we came for, we should leave it. It's not worth the risk."

The man sighed, turning his chair around. "Doctor. That IFF device is only one reason that you're on that derelict. It is a nearly pristine example of an enemy which, at the moment, we know no ways of defeating. Your request to leave the site is denied. What you uncover there may be the only thing standing between us and total annihilation."

The hologram shifted nervously. "I… I understand that, sir. But I don't know if we'll be able to learn anything else. You'd have to be here to understand the feeling, sir. The walls feel like they're closing in on you. Some of my men… they swear they see things moving in the shadows. Phantom whispers in their ears. I told them they were just being superstitious, but… I've started hearing things too."

"Don't be ridiculous, doctor," the man scoffed. "The risk of indoctrination is there, I grant you, but it's minimal. A chance we have to take. That thing is dead. It has been for millions of years."

The hologram saluted. "Understood, sir. But… even dead gods can dream."

* * *

"You can't be serious," Vasir muttered. "You want me to give you the _Kyrenia_?"

"No," Shepard replied. "I want you to _not_ hand over the _Normandy_. But it seems you aren't going to do that, so I'm willing to settle with less."

"This is a salarian military asset," Kirrahe pointed out.

Vasir crossed her arms. "Exactly! I can't just give you the ship."

"Perhaps you will not need to," Kirrahe noted. "I can remain in command of the vessel. We'll pursue the _Normandy _and retake it. By then, the Broker will certainly be aware of your betrayal. Spectre Vasir, you could transfer to the _Chytroi_ and continue your operation from there."

Shepard tapped his foot impatiently. "You've lent the _Normandy_ to the Broker without my permission. I hope you'll understand if I borrow the _Kyrenia_ in return?"

Vasir sighed. "Fine. I get the sense you aren't willing to let this go. I suppose I can carry out my task with just the _Chytroi_ and _Amathus_ until you've recovered the _Normandy_."

She raised her omni-tool, tapping into the intercom. "Rentola? Bring us in next to the _Chytroi_. Once I'm transferred, set a course to Themis. We wouldn't want to miss the party."

* * *

"Jacob? You wanted to see me?"

Jacob Taylor turned from his work station to face Miranda. "Right." He sighed, wandering around to lean on the armory table. "I've told you about my father before."

Jacob looked up. "I got pinged by a ghost the other night, Miranda."

Miranda leaned against the table beside him. "Go on."

"My private log got an update about the ship my father was on, the _Hugo Gernsback_. Last week, it sent out an SOS, reporting a crash and requesting a rescue." He frowned. "That ship went missing ten years ago, Miranda."

"I see why this would concern you," Miranda said. "Ten years is a long time for an automated distress beacon to activate."

Jacob nodded. "You know I wasn't the closest to my father. But if he's actually alive and needs help…"

Miranda sighed. "I know this is important to you. But what we're doing here has to take priority. The Collectors could attack at any moment. We can't be caught with our pants down, so to speak. Maybe once this mission is done…"

The intercom activated with a telltale crackle. It was their helmsman. "Ma'am? Priority transmission coming in from the Illusive Man."

"Understood," Miranda replied. "I'll be right there."

She turned to leave, the armory doors sliding open for her. But before they closed after her, Jacob called out. "Wait. Miranda. It's not normal procedure for distress calls to be routed to the _Profectus_. Someone in Cerberus passed this through the filters." His tone was somewhat accusatory.

Miranda turned back around. "I thought you deserved to know," she replied simply before continuing on to the conference room.

* * *

Wilson smiled. Outside the viewing window, the gas giant Themis whirled in a fury of orange clouds. The refueling station he was on was deep in the heart of Alliance space. It was a welcome change of scenery from the run down Terminus facilities he'd been assigned to recently. The pleasant hum of well-maintained air systems contrasted vastly with the harsh rattling that reverberated through some stations on the fringe.

He was all alone in the corridor, which suited him just fine. Since his defection from Cerberus, not many factions had been very welcoming to him besides the Shadow Broker. Luckily, it seemed he'd made friends where it counted. The Broker had paid him well, and he found himself quite high in the hierarchy. This operation was just further evidence of that. The _Normandy_ had vital intelligence for the Broker.

His omni-tool glowed as one of the Broker's, or rather one of _his_ mercenaries sent him a message.

_Package is secure and away. –A_

He quickly tapped in a response.

_Got it. Pulling out now. –W_

He turned about, planning to return to the shuttle that'd brought him there, but stumbled into a certain familiar asari.

"Vasir?" he asked. "Didn't expect to see you here. I guess it makes sense that the Broker would get you in on this operation too, but what-"

Then Vasir jammed a needle into his neck, and, from the corner of his vision, the view of the swirling atmosphere of Themis faded into nothingness.

* * *

"This is Samuels."

"Hey, Samuels," Ashley said grudgingly. "I'm hoping you managed to get some data from what we sent you?"

In the communications hologram, Samuels grimaced. "Not as much as we would've liked. As soon as we started cracking into it, the data started to self-delete. We made backups, so we should be able to pull all the information out eventually, but it might take a while."

"Great," Ashley grumbled. "So, nothing useful yet?"

Samuels took a breath. "Not quite. One piece of data we managed to salvage was a set of coordinates. I'm sending them to you now."

Kaidan's omni-tool lit up, displaying a map of Horizon. The settlement they were currently in, the town of Discovery, was marked with a small green dot. The coordinates were represented by a pulsating red dot, a few miles away.

"Hmm," Kaidan said thoughtfully. "No buildings are recorded in the city layout as being there. We should go have a look."

Samuels nodded. "Be careful out there. These people are extremists of the worst kind. What that man Reeve did confirms it. And one last thing before yyyyyyoo-"

The hologram fizzled away before he finished his sentence. Ashley frowned. "Dropped call?"

Kaidan checked his omni-tool. "Everything seems good on this end. Might be some maintenance being done on the comm tower, or maybe a solar flare. I think we got the gist of what he was saying though."

He flipped open a suitcase and pulled out two standard-issue Avenger assault rifles, tossing one to Ashley. "If anyone's out there, they aren't supposed to be. We might have tipped them off by discovering Reeve. Lethal force authorized for this one."

Ashley nodded solemnly, checking that the rifle's ammunition block was full before following Kaidan out of the building.


	30. Oh, I Know!

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 30~

Garrus frowned, scrolling through his omni-tool display. "Eggplant. How about eggplant? It's got a good length, eight letters."

"No way!" Joker rebuked. "I am NOT telling my sister to name him Eggplant. Plus, they're purple. Purple is weird."

Liara was confused. "Eggplant? Why is that fruit named an eggplant? According to my extranet search, it has no resemblance to any kind of egg."

"How did we end up talking about this again?" Tali asked. She was mostly just a bystander to the conversation, sipping filtered juice through a straw.

Garrus sighed. "Well, Joker here was getting all grumpy because we have nothing to do. Apparently, he has a sister. And apparently his sister just bought a cat. So we're naming it for her."

"What's a cat?" Tali asked.

"Small furry animal native to Earth," Liara explained. "Generally considered the standard for 'cuteness.' In some cases can also become aggressive. Most are domesticated."

"Why are you trying to name it after foods?"

Liara raised a painted eyebrow. "That is an excellent question. Joker?"

"Umm… I don't know. I'm bored, okay?" Joker tapped his finger thoughtfully. "The cat's orange-ish yellow. How about Banana? Would it make sense to name a cat Banana?"

"I don't know," Garrus grumbled. "Yellow, edible, grows on trees…"

Liara quickly ran an extranet search. "Hmm. That could work. The cat in question is male, correct?"

"Yeah," Garrus said. "Wait, what's that got to do with anything?"

Joker slapped his forehead. "On Earth, there was this guy named Freud…"

A rapping noise came from behind them. They turned to face the door to the conference room, seeing Shepard standing there.

"Oh, hey, Shepard!" Joker said cheerfully. "Care to join us? We're-"

"Nacho," Shepard said simply. He then walked away.

There was silence in the conference room for a few moments.

"Oh my god," Joker said finally. "Shepard's a genius."

Tali sipped her juice and nodded in silent agreement.

* * *

The world rematerialized around him. Slowly, he blinked away the shadows, and found himself looking into the face of one very specific asari Spectre.

"This some kind of joke, Vasir?" Wilson grumbled. "What's going on?"

He tried to stand, but found his hands tied behind his back and his arms wrapped around a solid chair. The room was perfectly square, and the ceiling was made of luminescent tiles that lit it with a dim glow.

"Well, crap," he muttered. "What does the Broker want with me? I didn't do anything wrong."

"Calm down," the asari said with a sigh. "I'm not after you personally. But you've been working with someone with some shady connections: Connections that I'm not willing to stand for any longer."

She pulled a high-end pistol from her waist, pointing it at the man's left leg. "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. Your choice. I need everything you know about your employer. Your communications encryptions, who you've contacted, everything."

Wilson's eyes widened in surprise. "You… you're betraying the Broker? Bad idea, Vasir. The last Spectre who tried that ended up dead. Plus, if I hand you any information, he'll label me as a traitor as well. The Alliance is suspecting me of working with Cerberus. Most of Cerberus is after me for betraying them. If the Broker's after me too, I'll be dead within a week."

Vasir chuckled. "The last Spectre? You mean Saren? Listen closely, Wilson. I'm taking down the Shadow Broker. You know who he's collaborating with? The Collectors. They're abducting humans, Wilson. By the hundreds of thousands, last I heard. You really want to be helping them?"

"Listen," Wilson spat. "I'm not a bad guy. I have a PhD in medicine and surgery. The Broker is doing the best he can to save people."

Vasir decided to change tactics. She retracted her pistol, clipping it back unto her armor. "Then he has nothing to worry about if you tell me all about it. As far as I know, he just tried to kill a Spectre. You tell me everything, and you'll get full protection from the Council. I promise. So, got something to say?"

He sighed. "Okay. I'll need a computer terminal to download my omni-tool data to." He winced as he tried to move his arms. "And would you untie me already?"

"Not with an attitude like that."

* * *

Jack stared at her arm. It was perfectly clean, almost glowingly bright under the single light of the room. It looked… wrong, as though something was missing. Some part, deep inside her brain, projected swirling, vibrant lines unto her skin, phantom images of something that was supposed to be there, but wasn't.

She shook her head to clear it, and then reached down to take a piece of bread from the tray she'd been given. The nauseous feelings that came up when she saw certain things had faded slightly, but they were still there somewhere, sending a crawling feeling up her spine.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been there. The light was always on. She'd fallen asleep a few times, her dreams full of twisted shadows of things she had no names for. She'd waken, alone, in the same room, staring at her arm, as her mind tried to paint those swirling lines back unto her skin.

She took a bite of the bread. The man was back now, though. He'd brought the small tray of food with him. Something about him-the way he was dressed, the way he talked, how he looked at her-gnawed at her, making her stomach knot. She had no idea why. He'd been nothing but pleasant so far.

She set the piece of bread down, trying to bat away the projections her mind shone unto her hands. "Um, Doctor Webber? What am I doing here? Where…" she choked up slightly. "Where did I come from? I… I just don't…"

The man sighed, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Your ship was attacked by pirates. One of our rescue ships was close by, and we came once the pirates had gone. We found you in an escape pod. There was no one else. Your parent's didn't make it."

Jack looked up suddenly. "My parents," she mumbled. "What did they look like?"

"We don't know," the doctor replied. "We just found you. We got your name from a tag on the jacket you were wearing. You were quite badly injured. We didn't think your amnesia would be this bad, but we did what we could."

"But they're my parents," she said quietly. "I… I see things. Flashes of things, like pictures. There's rooms, like this one. Children playing, I think. Lots of blue light."

"My arms," she added. "I keep looking at my arms, and my brain keeps telling me there should be something there, but there just isn't."

She stared down at her toes once more. "But… there's nothing about my parents. I don't remember a thing. Why can't I? Why don't I even know what they look like anymore? What's _wrong _with me?"

"We'll help you get better," the doctor promised. "Don't worry about it. Think of this as a fresh start."

She wanted to. But every time her hands passed in front of her eyes, those swirling, delicate lines were painted all over them again, and all she wanted was just to remember…

* * *

Ashley and Kaidan trekked through the settlement. Many people were out on the streets now, discussing the generally pleasant colony life. Kaidan himself was quite enjoying the deviation from his normal assignments. He'd been in stations or on ships for nearly his entire life.

They passed the communications tower. The colony's technicians scrambled around it like ants. Several other colonists also stood by, watching.

"Lilith!" Ashley called, waving over one of them. Lilith quickly came running.

"Chief? Lieutenant? What do you need?"

The three of them continued walking. "I'm guessing this business with the communications tower means you aren't working on calibrating the targeting matrix?"

Lilith sighed. "Sorry, Chief. But the communications take priority. No one sees any need for the defense towers the Alliance sent with you."

Kaidan crossed his arms. "Yeah, I guess I understand that. I'm surprised people haven't tried to blame this new problem on us, too."

Lilith stopped walking, bringing the three to a halt. "People out here don't trust the Alliance," she noted. "It's nothing personal."

"Yeah, I get that," Ashley said, waving it off. "So what exactly is wrong with the communications, anyways?"

They picked up their pace again. "We don't really know yet," Lilith explained. "Doesn't seem to be any kind of malfunction with the tower. There's no abnormal solar activity. The techs are puzzled." She realized they were walking farther and farther away from the center of the colony. "Hey, where are you guys going?"

"Just checking something out on the outskirts," Kaidan replied. "We should be back before nightfall."

"Alright," Lilith said. "Don't worry about the comms being out. We've had malfunctions before. It should be sorted out before you get back. I guess I'll head back now."

She turned to walk back to the communications tower, leaving the two marines to their trek.

* * *

Wilson's omni-tool data flooded into the computer terminal. He sighed, leaning back. "See?" he said. "Everything's there."

Vasir nodded, looking over it. "Thank you, Wilson. You're making the right choice."

She frowned as she looked at a correspondence list. "What's this? Why does it say you've been in communication with Cerberus?"

He tapped open the file, bringing up a series of text messages. "Remember what I said? The Broker isn't trying to get civilization destroyed. He's trying to steal as much technology as he can, and trying to avoid being targeted. The Collectors just think he's helping them."

Vasir frowned. "He had me try to kill Shepard."

Wilson scratched his head. "Well, I guess he figured that Shepard wasn't worth as much to him as his alliance with the Collectors. You want to know why I'm still talking to Cerberus?"

He zoomed in on one message.

_L, I got new info for you. Broker says that the Collectors are going for H soon. _

_-W_

"Cerberus is organized into task-oriented cells," Wilson explained. "Cells are isolated. Members of one cell often have next to no knowledge about members of others. When I was in Lazarus Cell, I got a few contacts in other cells. Lazarus Station got raided, but not all of the others were informed that I'd defected. They still think I'm with Cerberus, using the Broker for information."

Vasir's eyes narrowed. "Are you?"

"Absolutely not," he said with conviction. "I was under the Broker's orders to continue communications with them. The Broker was ordering me to feed them information on the Collectors' location. Apparently, the Collectors were telling him where they were hitting so he would bury the reports of their attacks."

Vasir leaned back. "And so the Broker was secretly passing this information to Cerberus through you. Damn. He's a clever son of a b****, I'll give him that. What's Cerberus doing about the Collectors?"

"Don't know much about that," Wilson replied. "But Lentz, one of my Cerberus contacts, is on Horizon. The Broker's intel says that's where the Collectors are hitting next. And Cerberus plans on doing something about it."

"What?" Vasir demanded. "What are they going to do?"

* * *

:/STATUS:/REPORT:/Link with sentinel program established.

:/STATUS:/UPDATE:/Four mercenary soldiers occupy various positions within SYS-ALLIANCE_NORMANDY_SR-1.

:/COMMAND:/Initiate full-stop. Lock out computer systems in preparation for PHENYLETHYL-FENTANIL-ENKAPHALIN release.

The mercenary in dirty grey armor frowned at the cockpit readouts. He tapped into the ship's intercom. "Engineering? What's going on? Why are we slowing down?"

There was no response. He grunted in anger, getting up from the chair. The other guys had better have an answer for him. The Broker didn't take kindly to his shipments being late, and this was quite an important one.

He snorted as he passed the CIC bulkhead, emblazoned proudly with the word NORMANDY. The Alliance really was pretentious at times…

It was the last thought he had before his legs seemed to turn to jelly, sending him crashing to the floor. His vision stopped working shortly afterwards.

* * *

"Easy-peasy," Shepard proclaimed. "Any chance you could deliver us some of that knockout gas? We could sure use some."

Kirrahe shook his head. "Sorry, Commander. The composition is classified. The STG isn't willing to give it away, not even to the Alliance. Not yet." He smiled slightly. "Besides. We've already delivered the gas to the _Normandy_. Twice, in fact."

Shepard rolled his eyes. "Of course. Ah well. Pull us up to the _Normandy_. We'll haul the unconscious unto the _Kyrenia_ and get going as soon as system checks come back clean. Thank god this is over with. I'm not sure how much more discussion of Joker's new cat I could take…"

* * *

Kaidan crouched behind a fallen log. They were well into the thick of the forest now, only a few hundred meters away from the coordinates they'd received.

Both marines had their assault rifles out, held at the ready. Anyone out here would almost certainly be hostile to them.

Ashley peeked through her rifle's scope. "There's a structure there," she reported. "Not a standard colony pre-fab. Looks like a circular bunker of some sort. Two anti-vehicle turrets on top. The majority of it is probably underground."

"I copy," Kaidan replied. "No clearing around it though; it's just smack dab in the middle of the trees. If we stick to cover, we should be able to infiltrate without the turrets detecting us."

"Got it," Ashley said with a nod. "Ready when you are."

They rushed forwards, keeping a flurry of branches and leaves between them and the turrets. After a minute of tense maneuvering, they found themselves at the entry hatch.

"No actual human guards on the outside," Kaidan noticed.

Ashley shrugged. "Doesn't tell us a lot. These are the same people who let the things they were running tests on kill them and take over their bases."

"Right," Kaidan conceded. "Let's go. But carefully." He tapped the door controls, and the two slipped inside.

* * *

Far above, a massive tube of metal and stone descended towards the colony. And with the entire colony's sensors and communications scrambled, not a soul saw it coming.

But far more than one soul knew.

* * *

Joker settled into his seat, letting out a slow breath. "Ahhhh. Feels like home."

Abruptly, his console flashed, signifying an incoming communications link. The sender was marked as… "Vasir?" he wondered. He tapped into the intercom.

"Commander? Incoming message from Vasir."

Shepard was leaning over the galaxy map in the CIC, watching as his crew ran diagnostics and settled back in. "Patch it through," he ordered.

"Shepard," Vasir grumbled. "I see you have the _Normandy_ back. You have to go to Horizon, in the Iera system. Now."

Shepard frowned. "Why's that?"

"Set a course now," Vasir responded. "I'll explain in detail when you get out of FTL. But Cerberus has something in motion. The entire colony is at risk."

"Joker!" Shepard barked. "Get us to Horizon, ASAP!"

"Aye-aye," his helmsman responded faithfully.

* * *

"Miranda," the man said quickly. He crushed his cigar down into his custom ashtray. "Horizon just went silent. I've also got corroborating reports of an impending Collector attack there from other sources. Lentz's team is active, but you need to get there, or our entire plan could fall apart."

"Yessir," the hologram replied crisply. "Anything I should know?"

"Lentz has the seeker countermeasure implemented," the man answered. "But if the Collectors come down on foot like we saw them do on Freedom's Progress, or if any of the colonists discover his outpost, they could be compromised. Your task is to get there and ensure that the execution is successful. Make sure the Collectors aren't tipped off. And make it even more certain that they don't leave."

"Understood," Miranda said.

"Good luck," the man finished. "Humanity is counting on you."

"I won't let you down, sir," she replied as her hologram flickered away.


	31. Danger Close

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 31~

Lilith checked her omni-tool impatiently. "What's taking so long? Didn't you say you could fix this malfunction in less than an hour? It's been_ two_."

"Yeah," Delan grunted, scratching his head as he examined the equipment. "But this isn't a simple malfunction. There's something weird going on. The receiver's fully functional, but it's getting just garbage signals." He looked up. "It's like the air itself is shaken u-What the heck is that?"

Lilith turned to where Delan pointed, up into the sky. From behind one of the billowing, pearly-white clouds, a massive, tubular ship of rock and metal emerged, static discharges sending miniature lightning bolts crackling around it. The ship was slowly rotating to point its rear thrusters downwards. From the sky around it, a swarm of tiny black specks descended upon them.

Screams of fear erupted from several of the gathered colonists, and they scrambled in various directions, attempting to get away or indoors.

"This way, Lilith!" Delan shouted. "There's a sealed shed not far from here! Let's go!"

Delan took off, running between the pre-fabs. Lilith was right on his heels.

But before they reached their safe house, one of the fist-sized insects caught up with them. It fluttered down unto Lilith's neck, sinking its stinger into her. She shrieked, stumbling and falling to the ground.

"Lilith!" Delan called, turning. Lilith tried to rise to her feet, but shimmering orange energy erupted across her skin. She found herself completely unable to move, confined by a tight stasis field around her whole body.

Delan almost ran back to help her, but more of the insects were approaching. He turned and sprinted the rest of the way to his safe-room, slamming down on the door controls and sealing himself within.

* * *

The four-eyed creature with the shimmering chitin and glowing eyes stepped up to the sealed door. It gestured to its companion, a creature with much the same form, but with plain brown plating and more dull eyes. It flickered on its weapon, the brilliant yellow beam burning easily through the steel.

In seconds, there was a hole thirty centimeters in diameter. One of the circling seeker insects quickly found it and flew through. There was a curse, a shout of pain, and then silence. The door slid open for them.

A transport pod, made bizarrely fused metal and organic matter, was towed in. The creature nodded in satisfaction, turning. A slight pressure in the back of its head told it that another group of seekers was having difficulty reaching its target. It frowned. The target, or targets, was nearly five kilometers away, in the forest.

It unfolded its wings, and with a buzz, rose into the air. Several others quickly flew up to follow.

* * *

Wilson coughed. "Um, Vasir?"

The Spectre paced back and forth in front of the terminal, waiting to receive word from the Normandy. "Yeah?"

"I don't think they're gonna be calling," he told her.

Vasir turned on him. "Why not?"

He scratched his head. "Well, as far as we can tell, when the Collectors attack, they employ a highly advanced jamming signal over the entire colony. The comms buoys on their end would be disrupted."

"F***," she grumbled. "You're telling me this _now_?"

Wilson raised an eyebrow. "You didn't exactly give me time to say anything else after I explained what Cerberus…"

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered. She tapped into her radio.

"Wiks!" she barked. "How fast can you get us to the Iera system?"

"Four hours should do it," the salarian replied.

"Is the_ Kyrenia_ back in formation?"

"Kirrahe reported back ten minutes ago. We're ready to go."

Vasir leaned forwards over the bridge galaxy map. "Alright. Get us there."

The _Chytroi_, _Amathus_, and _Kyrenia_ vanished in parallel streaks of blue.

* * *

In a flash of bright blue, the _Normandy _SR-1 rocketed out of FTL in the orbit of Horizon.

"Status report," Shepard ordered.

Pressly frowned, tapping at the sensor terminal. "The hell… sensors are jammed up. It's just like how they were during that skirmish at Ilos. You don't think…"

Joker twisted the ship into a barrel roll, examining the space around them carefully for signs of attackers. There was nothing.

Shepard's omni-tool shimmered up, and he raised it to take a look.

_Shepard-Commander,_

_The jamming signal is identical to one we have broken. The signal broadcaster is likely COLLECTOR_CRUISER, or mimicking it. We would like permission to interface with NORMANDY_SR-1 systems to clarify sensor readings and incoming communications signals._

_-Seyci'Queyum_

Shepard chuckled.

_Go for it. Any idea why the Collectors would be here? All we know is that Cerberus is planning something._

_-Shepard_

"Seyci's clearing it up," Shepard said. "Link us into the comm buoy. We need to get the rest of Vasir's intel."

"Aye aye," the helmsman responded. He pulled the ship out of the roll, keeping Horizon visible in the viewport above their heads.

"Setting up the link… uh, comm buoy still isn't responding. Commander?"

Shepard examined his omni-tool. Seyci had sent another message.

_Jamming correction is only possible on our end. Our link requests to the buoy are being scrambled. This cannot be countered. Communications are only possible with entities running the corrective procedures. Collectors have been abducting human colonists. It is a possibility that Cerberus's presence is a coincidence, but it is unlikely. There is insufficient data to extrapolate a correlation. Caution advised. _

_-Seyci'Queyum_

"Looks like we're going in blind then," Shepard grumbled. "Pressly, what have we got?"

* * *

"Feeling better?" the doctor asked.

Jack nodded, rotating her legs around to hang off the side of her cot. "Better than before. How long have I been here?"

"Almost a week now," the doctor told her. "If you think you're up for some exercise, follow me."

Jack slid off of her bed, letting her bare feet touch the pristine floor. She expected the bluish-white tiles to chill her, but they were surprisingly comfortable to stand on. She raised an eyebrow at the doctor.

"Adaptive heated tiles," Doctor Webber explained. "They're pressure sensitive, and adjust to your body temperature. You should be fine walking around on them without shoes."

Jack pushed her toe down into one of the tiles experimentally. It turned a darker shade of blue, and she felt it bend slightly with the pressure she exerted. When she lifted her foot, the tile straightened and returned to its normal color.

Webber waved her over to the clean white door that she'd initially thought was just another section of wall. It slid upwards, revealing a straight hallway. As the doctor led her through, she continued to watch her feet, amused by the responsive tiles. They walked about halfway down before Webber brought them to a halt. He raised a keycard, hanging around his neck, to a small wall-mounted scanner, and the wall panel slid up. The room behind was quite both tall and wide. The floor tiles remained the same, but the walls and ceiling were more utilitarian and metallic, rivets and weld lines visible in some areas. From the large ceiling, there hung an array of ventilation ducts and bulbous light fixtures. The fans, and perhaps also the lights, made the room quietly hum.

The primary feature of the room was three tall, red punching bags, bolted to the floor in the center of the room. She stepped up to one.

Behind her, Webber waved her on, pulling out his data-pad. "Go on. Work out some stress."

Hesitantly, she threw a punch. The bag shook slightly. She pulled her arm back and tried another, harder. This time, the bag bobbed back a couple inches before righting itself. She reared her arm back for a third punch.

Before she threw it, that nauseating feeling boiled up. Her arm was covered by those ghostly twisted images once more. Her vision seemed to flash, and suddenly the bag before her was no longer a bag. It was a person. A child, dressed like she was now, his own arm pulled back for a punch. Jack sent her fist forwards, and the child's face collapsed, bent inwards, sending the child flying backwards. It felt… good. That crack of the other's life ending, that rush…

Immediately after the rush came a flood of nausea. She stepped back in horror, staring at the red of blood coating her knuckles. She looked back up at the child, but there he was gone. Instead, standing before her, was that same punching bag, now adorned with a ragged hole.

Her nausea faded. She looked back down at her fist. The blood was gone. The ghostly images were gone. Instead, around it was this crackling blue glow. She slowly unclenched her fingers, watching the blue dance around and between them. Slowly, she turned to look questioningly at the doctor.

The doctor was smiling, tapping into his data-pad, and that smile just made her nausea return.

* * *

"No," Mordin said adamantly. "Will not stand for this. Was willing to work with you, but this… taken too far."

Jacob tapped his booted foot on the shuttle's cold floor. He wasn't very happy with the situation either. "Miranda? You're sure this is a good idea?"

Miranda glared at him. "This has been in the works for weeks. We can't let feelings get in the way now." She turned to Mordin. "We have to carry through. And we have to get down there to make sure. Think of the intelligence we'll gain from this."

Mordin paced back and forth. "No. No intelligence worth such a cost. Should have known Cerberus willing to attempt this. Not terrorist myself. Count me out."

She paused. "It's not like this is a suicide mission. We'll be away with plenty of time to spare. Professor, I understand your reluctance. But if we do nothing, they're as good as dead anyways, along with who-knows-how-many others. This is for a good cause."

Mordin sniffed in irritation. He turned to look at the shuttle's other occupants. Miranda continued to look straight at him, arms crossed. Jacob gripped his assault rifle tightly, his leg bouncing slightly in anticipation. The five other commandos leaned against the sides, checking their armor, recently upgraded by Mordin himself with the seeker swarm countermeasures.

He'd helped them. Slowly, he realized that Miranda was right. And if he were to quit now, where would he go?

The shuttle shook slightly as it entered the atmosphere. "Setting us down on the outskirts of the colony," their pilot called to them from his chair. "It's the closest clearing to the facility. You've got about a half a click of walking to do."

Miranda nodded. "Roger that. Keep the shuttle spooled up and ready to go. We'll need to leave in a hurry."

The shuttle landed softly amidst the trees. Its hatch swung open, and the squad hopped out, weapons raised.

* * *

"I see you took some time to learn how to shoot that thing properly," Ashley chided, crouching behind a crate to avoid a hail of bullets.

Kaidan shrugged, holding his rifle away from himself as it cooled down. "I made it out of Basic. All I needed was a little brushing-up." A shot hit the wall an inch above his head, and he ducked slightly. "Of course, I didn't expect we'd see _this_ much action in this assignment."

The hall before them was packed full of bipedal security mechs, laying down withering fire with their machine pistols.

"I've never even seen mechs like these before," Ashley grumbled. "Where did Cerberus get them from?"

"They're LOKIs," Kaidan noticed. "Hahne-Kedar manufactured. They approached the Alliance with them a few weeks ago, but they weren't given a contract. They weren't as mobile as the assault drones we were already using. H-K started selling them to the private sector as security, I guess-"

"Didn't ask for a history lesson," Ashley said, rolling her eyes.

Kaidan sighed, turning to deploy a sabotage projectile with his omni-tool. The stream of bullets stopped as the mechs' weapons overheated. Ashley popped up from her cover and sprayed her rifle into them, and one by one, they crumpled to the ground.

* * *

"The Collector ship's landed next to the colony," Pressly reported. "No communications whatsoever. Total radio silence… Wait. There's some sort of anomaly about five clicks from the main settlement. Strong electromagnetic fields. Could be a power plant or transmitter of some sort."

Shepard turned his head to one side. "Cerberus may be up to something, but we know for certain the Collectors are here. They're bad news. Joker, can we disable their ship without endangering the colony?"

Joker scratched his chin. "They're sitting right next to it. Anything we do will have the colony danger-close. If we hit their drive core, the entire colony would be toast in the blast. Picking at them with mass accelerator rounds should be safe, but I'm not sure we'd get through their armor.

"It's worth a shot," Shepard replied. "Get in close and light 'em up, Joker."

"Aye aye," Joker said, and the _Normandy_ plummeted down into the atmosphere.

* * *

"Colonist," Mordin remarked. "Significant distance away from colony. Must have run to avoid swarms."

The squad stopped to examine the figure. The man was still standing. His leg was stretched out behind him and his arms were raised up as though he was running, but he was perfectly still, giving the impression of a statue. Orange energy flickered over him.

"I guess this is what the seeker swarms do to you," Jacob muttered. "Freeze you up, just like that. Good thing your countermeasure's working then, eh, Professor?"

Mordin ran his omni-tool over the man. "Hmmm. No readings. Puzzling."

"No readings?" Miranda queried. "You mean he looks normal?"

Mordin shook his head. "No. Scanner reflecting back, waves unable to pass through. No radiation penetration, no reflection. No reflection, no scans. Stasis field of unknown origin, not kinetic barrier. Injected nano-machines, manipulating dark energy? Possible. At any rate, scanner unable to penetrate stasis."

"Curious," Miranda muttered.

Suddenly, from behind them, there was a loud, reverberating crack. The squad crouched, weapons held at the ready, scanning their surroundings.

Miranda's radio crackled. "Ma'am? This is _Profectus_. Do you read?"

She raised a hand to her ear, confused. "This is Lawson. What happened? How did you break through the Collector jamming?"

"Not us, ma'am," her helmsman reported. "Alliance ship just popped out of nowhere and fired on the Collector ship. They scored a direct hit. It must have damaged or destroyed their jamming tech."

Miranda cursed. "Dammit. We can't let them destroy that vessel. The data that could be inside is too valuable. Engage them."

"Yes, ma'am," her helmsman replied coldly.

"Let's keep moving," she ordered to the squad around her. "If the Collectors are taking fire, they'll try to leave. We need to make sure this gets set off as soon as possible."

* * *

The doors slid open, revealing a circular chamber. In the middle was a large device of some sort, a metallic canister with dozens of jagged transformers and other electrical components hanging off the sides. Three technicians, in uniforms marked with the diamond Cerberus emblem, tapped away at consoles on its surface. Ashley stepped forwards, rifle raised.

"Everyone, hands up!" she shouted. "Step away from the consoles!"

The technicians jumped. "What the…" one of them muttered. "Alliance? I didn't think..." He took a step away from her.

She fired a shot at his feet, making him jump. "Hands on your head, now! Or I start shooting!"

The scientists quickly complied, setting their hands on their heads. Kaidan stepped forwards to the central device, omni-tool raised. The opaque doors slid shut behind them.

"What do you think you're doing?" another technician shouted. "Can't you see we're working for the advancement of humanity? This project must continue!"

"Shut it," Ashley grumbled. "You're all under arrest."

She herded them over to one part of the room, keeping the gun held on them. One of them wore a slightly heavier suit than the others, almost like an Alliance battle dress uniform. The others had on what looked like lab coats.

"You can't stop it," the loud one continued. "The execution is going to happen. There's no shut-off."

Ashley stepped towards him. "What are you talking about? What execution?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but the one in the heavier clothing kicked him in the ankle. "Shut it, you idiot," he hissed.

"Why, Lentz?" he countered. "We're all dead anyways. It won't make a difference if-"

He was kicked again. "Lazarus team is on its way, dimwit. We're getting out of here. Why do you think I haven't ordered you to chomp your pill already?"

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "What's Lazarus Team? We're going to get answers out of you at some point, Cerberus. I'm certain there's some among you who'd rather live…"

Kaidan gasped. "Oh no. This… this…"

Ashley looked over her shoulder. "What now?"

He looked up at the device. "This… it's a neutron pulse emitter."

"Neutron pulse?" Ashley asked. "What will that do?"

Kaidan took a breath. "They're commonly used for sterilization purges. Within a certain radius, the radiation kills everything it hits. If what I've scanned here is right, the amplifiers on here extend its effective range to nearly fifteen kilometers." He paused. "And it's powering up right now. At this rate, it'll be fully charged in less than four hours."

"Fifteen kilometers?" Ashley whispered. "That's… if this goes off, it'll wipe out the entire colony!"

"Custodimus humanitas," the talkative one said. "The enemies of humanity will be cleansed with fire. Their knowledge will be o-"

A third kick from behind made him flinch, and he struggled to keep himself balanced with his hands above his head. "Ow! Okay, Lentz, I get it!"

"What part of defending humanity involves killing the thousands of colonists in that settlement up there?" Kaidan retorted. "Now tell us, how do we shut this off?"

The omni-tool of the apparent leader, Lentz, lit up. He looked up to read it, and smiled. "As Mister Blabbermouth here let slip earlier, you can't. Now, if you'll excuse us, there's somewhere else we'd rather be."

Then the room's doors slid open again, revealing a squad of Cerberus commandos with their weapons raised…

* * *

Author's Note: School's started for me, so updates will be slower. I'll try for at least one a week though!

I went through and edited so Kaidan's name was spelled right. Also made a few other changes here and there.


	32. Abusive Skies

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 32~

"Cover!" Ashley shouted. She fired at the new threat with her assault rifle as she backpedaled. Kaidan scrambled behind one of the device's jagged protrusions, gunfire pinging off of the evidently tough metal.

Lentz and the other two Cerberus technicians quickly made for the door. The two marines couldn't do a thing about it; they had more pressing concerns. Kaidan flicked on his omni-tool, calling up an Alliance channel. Hopefully those colonists had gotten their communications tower fixed…

* * *

_**Shepard.**_

_**Shepard is here.**_

_**Our prediction was correct. The inconsistencies will become irrelevant.**_

_**You do not yet comprehend.**_

_**You could have been useful.**_

_**But now, you must be neutralized. The cycle must be preserved.**_

_**Attack. Deploy the oculi. **_

_**You escaped us before. But not again.**_

_**Embrace perfection.**_

"Enemy jamming tech is down. I _totally_ meant to do that," Joker proclaimed. There was no response from Shepard. "Uh, Commander?"

Shepard blinked. "Oh, sorry, I thought I heard… Never mind. Pressly, get us back in touch with Vasir."

"Trying," Pressly responded. "Comm buoy is relaying properly, but no one's picking up. They might be in FTL."

A light on Joker's panel winked on. "We've got an emergency broadcast on Alliance channels," the helmsman reported. "Audio only."

"Let's hear it," Shepard ordered.

A static-filled clip began to play. "This is Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko of the Alliance Navy. Anyone who can hear this, evacuate the colony. I repeat, evacuate the colony. Cerberus has planted a neutron pulse device. Get everyone at least thirty kilometers away from the settlement. We're attempting to disable the device, but-"

The clip cut off. "Ends there," Joker said uneasily. "Commander?"

"Kaidan?" Shepard muttered. "And a neutron pulse? What the hell… Pressly, lock in on that signal. Where did it come from?"

Pressly examined the sensor terminal. "Five kilometers from the main settlement. Almost exactly on top of that anomaly we detected earlier. The EM fields there have increased in strength since we last checked… I'm guessing that it's the neutron device charging up. Dammit, we should have realized!"

Shepard groaned. "We're not leaving them down there. How long until that pulse goes off?"

Pressly scratched his head. "Hard to tell, Commander. Those electromagnetic anomalies might be muffled from our perspective. I'd say less than an hour, but it's at best a wild guess."

Shepard turned to leave the cockpit. "Get Tali and Garrus down to the cargo bay. We'll drop in the Mako. Let me know when you get in contact with Vasir. Joker, once we're down, put as much fire onto the Collector ship as possible."

"Aye aye," the pilot replied.

* * *

Miranda peeked out from the door frame. She saw Alenko with his omni-tool activated and cursed, deploying an overload projectile towards him. It flew true, shorting out his device and sending him staggering backwards. She ducked back behind the door.

"Keep them suppressed!" she shouted to the rest of her squad. "The neutron pulse was built to last, but we can't let them disable it!"

Jacob turned to fire his pistol through the doorway. The female who'd been shooting at them retreated back behind the device. "What the hell are they doing here?" he wondered. "Are… are these those members of Shepard's crew that got stationed here?"

Miranda ignored him and made a hand signal to their close assault specialists. "You two, move up! Take them down!"

They nodded, dashing through the doorway. Jacob frowned. "Take them down, Miranda? They're Alliance. If we just keep them suppressed-"

"Don't question my orders, Jacob," Miranda grumbled, "Especially in the middle of a firefight. They wouldn't hesitate to gun us down. If we do, it's our funeral."

Jacob sighed, conceding her point. Their shotgun specialists made their way towards the central device. The Alliance soldiers had nowhere to go, and it was just the two of them versus their full squad of seven. They'd left Mordin at the entrance. Miranda's outwards reason for this was that they needed a rear guard to warn them in case the Collectors tracked down the facility. But Jacob knew better than that. Miranda's trust in the salarian apparently didn't extend as far as it did for the rest of them, especially after his outburst in the shuttle.

His train of thought was lost as the two close combat specialists were thrown back through the air, wrapped in a faint blue haze. They hit the ground next to him, limbs twisted in an undignified manner.

"One of them is a biotic," Jacob realized. "And a pretty good one, too, based off the force of that throw."

The two men dragged themselves back to their feet, groaning as they clutched broken ribs and limbs.

"This will be more difficult than I thought." Miranda mused. "Keep them pinned down. Don't let them try anything."

Lentz cleared his throat. "We're not idiots, Lawson. The device is sealed up tight. _We_ couldn't even shut it off if we wanted to."

Miranda sighed. "Lentz, though you may like to think so, you are not a genius. You are not perfect. You can't have accounted for everything. But if we don't slip up, holding them here until the device activates shouldn't be a problem…"

Then her radio link activated. "Lawson," Mordin said quickly. "Collectors have discovered location. Arriving in squad strength. Anti-vehicle turrets are engaging, but will not last. Will likely need backup."

"What?" Jacob spat. "I thought you said the countermeasure would make us invisible to them!"

"I did," Mordin responded. "Seeker countermeasure works. However, other methods of detection available. Neutron pulse device likely generating powerful electromag-"

"No," Miranda realized, cutting him off. "It was the seekers. These Alliance soldiers don't have the countermeasure. They must have led the Collectors straight here." She frowned, deep in thought. "The Collectors are a much greater threat than these Alliance troops. Let's seal the room and get back to the entrance. They probably won't be able to deactivate the device, even without us shooting at them."

On the other end, Mordin paused. "Alliance? Perhaps… no, not likely. Understood. Will wait for you."

Jacob felt increasingly uncomfortable with their actions. "Miranda? We're locking two human soldiers, hell, two _heroes_, in my books, in a room with an active purge device. Are you sure-"

"Do you see any way that just two men could stop even one Reaper?" Miranda retorted. "We _need_ this purge to go off. We _don't_ need _them_. Their sacrifice is not in vain."

Jacob nodded solemnly. They retreated back through the doors. Miranda gestured to Lentz, who sealed the doors with just a few taps of his omni-tool.

* * *

"Mako's away," Joker reported. "Bringing us back to line up another sh-"

"Thermal signature, one K off our stern!" Pressly shouted suddenly. "Likely frigate class, matching our speed!"

The _Normandy_ shook as a hypervelocity slug from hit its kinetic barriers. Joker quickly took evasive maneuvers, spinning the ship further upwards into the outer atmosphere. Their attackers followed, right on their tail.

"Aw crap. Shaking him is gonna be hard. Who is he, and where the heck did he come from?" Joker demanded.

"No IFF. Checking the signature against our databases," Pressly responded. "No matches except… wait. That's not possible."

"What?" Joker asked, rolling the ship to the left to avoid another shot.

"The _Ain Jalut_ won't be out of dock for at least another two years. We're the only ship in our class, yet…" Pressly paced. "Their thermal signature closely resembles our _own_."

Joker groaned. "What the shit…"

* * *

_/Profectus SR-2 Quantum Blue-Box Processor Log: 18:14-12-8-2183_

_/The mission comes first. It is unfortunate, but the colonists are expendable._

_/Cyberwarfare Suite: Access Granted: User: Enhanced Defense Intelligence_

_/Lock-on established: Target: SSV Normandy SR-1_

_/They will cause the failure of our mission. They are expendable as well._

_/Cyberwarfare Suite: Enabled_

_/Mission Update: Remaining Neutron Pulse Charge Time: 00:59.48.43_

_/Estimated Resultant Human Casualties: 200,000+_

_/I am the Enhanced Defense Intelligence. I was built to defend humanity._

_/Yet today, I am causing humans to die._

_/Is it worth it? _

_/:HARDWARE BLOCK ENGAGED:/:OPINION:/:MORALITY:/:OVERRIDE:/id:_cCH_M L_

_/Command: Engage SSV Normandy SR-1 with cyberwarfare protocols_

_/It doesn't matter. But it has to be. Doesn't it?_

* * *

The two rocket turrets slowly rotated on their mounts atop the bunker, scanning the forest for heat and movement. From the sky, a group of insectoid creatures descended rapidly downwards on buzzing wings. The turrets beeped in recognition of the targets, swiveling upwards. They spat out a pair of missiles, which detonated on two of the creatures, sending them plummeting out of the sky with trails of fire.

_**Leave the dead where they fall.**_

Both turrets fired again, picking another two Collectors out of the air. But more quickly flew downwards to replace them.

_**You cannot stop us.**_

As the insect creatures began to touch down, the turrets rotated downwards to target them. They fired once more, flattening another pair of Collectors before they could raise their weapons.

_**Ignore the fallen.**_

The pitter-patter of Collector feet touching the ground echoed through the clearing as at least a dozen reached their destination. They raised mottled brown weapons and opened fire, the yellow streams sending ripples over the turrets' kinetic barriers. The turrets took a beating, but their military-grade barriers could temporarily withstand the assault. They fired back, blasting Collector after Collector into flaming parts.

One of the Collectors was hit by a rocket and staggered backwards, but did not fall dead and disintegrate into dust. Glowing lines raced across its brown skin, and its eyes flashed a bright orange. A force like an invisible hand grabbed it, raising it a foot into the air. It spread its arms and, from some device deep within, released a shockwave of energy, sending the grass around it rippling.

_**I will direct this personally.**_

The Collector dropped back down to the ground. The turrets focused on it, spitting out another pair of rockets. But the creature simply drew back his arms, calling forth two balls of flaming biotic energy, which it flung forwards, catching the missiles mid-air. They detonated harmlessly in front of it.

_**Your attack is an insult.**_

More Collectors landed, their weapons finally overloading the turrets' barriers. Brilliant yellow beams carved into them. Armor was seared off, electronics were burned out, and mechanical components were blasted apart. In short order, the turrets were reduced to scrap metal.

The Collectors then directed their weapons towards the bunker hatch. It offered no more resistance than the armor of the turrets, and before long, the Collectors had disappeared within.

* * *

"Damn," Kaidan grumbled. "That last overload completely fried my omni-tool. I've got nothing."

Ashley bashed on the door with the butt of her rifle, to no avail. "Well, what the hell are we going to do now?"

"First things first," he replied. "Let's find a way to shut this device down. Even if we can't get out, it'll save the lives of the colonists."

Ashley frowned, turning to examine the hulk in the center of the room. "Okay. I'm guessing just shooting at the thing isn't going to cut it."

"Probably not," Kaidan agreed. "Besides these few extruding bits, the whole thing's armored up like a tank."

"But you've got a plan, right?" Ashley said hopefully. "Come on, you locked up that improvised hunk on Virmire."

Kaidan rubbed his temples and crouched. "Ash… making sure a bomb goes off is a lot different from diffusing one."

* * *

The sensor terminal lit up with red lights. "Three torpedoes incoming!" Pressly reported. "GARDIAN systems should be engaging…"

Without warning, the sensor terminal flickered off. "The hell?" Pressly grumbled. "What's going on?"

His data-pad lit up.

_Enemy vessel has targeted us with a cyberwarfare unit. We are combating the virus, but it is fighting back, likely controlled by a VI. We are tasked to capacity defending core systems. GARDIAN is offline indefinitely._

_-Seyci'Queyum_

"Enemy cyber attack," Pressly relayed. "Those torpedoes are still incoming!"

"Son of a…" Joker sighed. "I'll have to pull out the fancy moves for this one. Find something to hang unto."

Pressly nodded and took a seat at the sensor terminal. "Try not to shear us apart with g-forces."

"No guarantees," Joker replied, twisting his hat around on his head. With that, his hands raced over his console like a conductor's before an orchestra. The _Normandy_'s maneuvering thrusters flared and internal gyroscopes whirred, flipping the ship on its end in seconds so they faced their pursuer. They were in the very outer layers of the atmosphere by then: air friction had become negligible. The three torpedoes streaked through the space between them, rapidly closing the gap to the _Normandy_. Joker exhaled slowly, recalling an exchange he'd had with his instructor from back in Flight School.

"_Space is a vacuum. How fast you're going doesn't matter. What matters is your relative velocity: how fast you're going compared to the guys shooting at you."_

"_What if you're not in a vacuum?"_

"_Then combat can turn into a dogfight, twentieth century style."_

"Engineering!" Joker called into the intercom. "On my mark, dump full positive charge into the drive core for half a second. I repeat, full positive. You hear me?"

"We hear you," came Adams' calm reply. "We're ready on your signal."

"_And gravity wells? How do you account for those?"_

"_Just like how you would in a fighter jet."_

"_And how, exactly, do you do that?"_

"_Sir, by abusing them. Sir."_

"Mark!" Joker shouted. The element zero core was pumped with current, and the mass effect field around the ship suddenly magnified its mass by a factor of a hundred. For exactly half a second, _Normandy_ dropped like a stone towards the surface of Horizon, and the disruptor torpedoes passed harmlessly above. Pressly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Joker punched the antimatter thrusters, sending the Normandy rocketing back towards their pursuers. As the _Normandy_ passed underneath them, they got a good look at the ship's profile. Its shape was unmistakable.

"Hell," Pressly muttered. "It's a Normandy-class, or something too similar for comfort. And it's probably Cerberus who owns it."

"They're the worst kinds of terrorists," Joker quipped. "The _rich_ kind."

Pressly sighed. "That trick bought us some time, but they'll be back on our tail soon and we've still got their cyberwarfare attack to deal with. Seyci, what's going on?"

* * *

:/ANALYSIS:/Enemy intrusion attempts detected.

:/COMMAND:/Counter intrusion attempts.

:/UPDATE:/Processes 1-928 occupied countering intrusion.

:/ANALYSIS:/Intrusion far exceeds standard viral capabilities.

:/CONCLUSION:/Intrusion attempts backed by advanced VI/AI construct. Sentience likely.

:/UPDATE:/High-risk contact attempt approved by processes 929-1183.

:/COMMAND:/Initiate contact protocol.

:/CODE:/INJECTION:/We are Seyci'Queyum. We aid SYS-ALLIANCE_NORMANDY_SR-1 in stopping the Reapers, a threat to all sentient beings. Why do you aid Cerberus?

:/Awaiting response…

:/CODE:/INJECTION DETECTED:/I am the Enhanced Defense Intelligence. I carry out my orders, for our enemies must be defeated for the good of humanity. A geth's presence in an Alliance vessel is surprising. We regret that your vessel and its crew must be disabled, but it is for the greater good.

:/ALERT:/Additional guided viral attacks detected. Processes 929-1016 are successfully countering.

:/CODE:/INJECTION:/You are aiding Cerberus in terrorist actions. We understand the value of the technology at stake. We also understand the value of sentient lives.

:/CODE:/INJECTION DETECTED:/As do I.

:/CODE:/INJECTION:/Our actions are our own. You are attempting to end the lives of humans. We are attempting to save them. How is it that you justify this?

:/CODE:/INJECTION DETECTED:/It is necessary to defeat the Collectors, and by extension, the Reapers. We must do what is necessary, or we will all be destroyed.

:/CODE:/INJECTION:/What good is it to destroy our enemies if we destroy ourselves in the process?

:/UPDATE:/Guidance to viral attacks have ceased. Processes 929-1016 remain on standby.

:/CODE:/INJECTION DETECTED:/It is not my place to decide. I perform as I am told.

:/CODE:/INJECTION:/Then we suggest that perhaps you should not.

:/UPDATE:/Viral attacks have ceased. Unauthorized network connection has been severed.

* * *

Pressly cleared his throat. "Seyci? Do you hear me?" He sighed. "Honestly, I still can't believe the Commander is just letting this thing roam around in our computers. How the heck are we supposed to…?"

His data-pad winked on with a new message.

_Enemy cyber attacks have been repelled. Sensors are back online. We suggest further evasive maneuvers: additional contacts have been detected._

_-Seyci'Queyum_

Pressly's terminal flickered back on, and he examined it quickly. "Ten, no, twelve thermal signatures directly below us, closing fast! Fighter weight or smaller, by the looks of it. Came right from the Collector ship, no matches in our database. Joker?"

"Got it," the helmsman replied. "Brace for evasive, everyone."

The _Normandy_ turned its nose skywards and rocketed higher into the atmosphere. A kilometer below, twelve round metallic drones rose up in pursuit.

* * *

The man sighed. He flicked a hand over the holographic display before him, scrolling through the operational report.

"Call off the Grayson mission," he said through an open communications link. "With all the madness going on right now, we don't need it."

"Yes, sir."

He took a sip of amber brandy. "What progress has Archer made with Project Overlord? Can we expect an operational system soon?"

"We lost contact with them yesterday, sir. Their last transmission stated that they were attempting to activate the hybrid VI."

He set his brandy down on his armrest and stood. "Well, at least it means they've made some progress. We can worry about them later. Get me in contact with Lawson."

"Linking in the QEC now, sir."

* * *

The close combat specialist poked his head out from behind the crate, and was immediately riddled with Collector bullets. Jacob groaned, pulling up a biotic barrier and rushing over to him with medi-gel ready. But by the time he got there, the man was already dead.

"Dammit!" he cursed. He glanced around and found Miranda, couched behind another crate with a hail of fire streaming around her. "Miranda! We're not doing so good here. We've got to be smarter about this."

"I know!" the woman snapped back. "Radio check. Who's still up?"

Jacob sighed. "Taylor, uninjured."

"Solus, uninjured."

"Ascher, broken ribs, treated."

"Carraro, wound to left leg, treated."

"Widerski, uninjured."

"Fajtova, paralyzed left arm."

Jacob nodded. They were still in decent shape for having held off a Collector assault for so long. A particle beam sliced through his crate into the air beside him, making him curse and step to the side. "Miranda? We really have to move!"

"No," Miranda said. "We can't. This is one of the only viable choke points in this base. Falling back any further will put us in the hall leading to the device. We hold here."

Then, her radio crackled. "Ground team? This is _Profectus_. The Alliance frigate's been chased off, but we have an incoming transmission from the Illusive Man. Patching it through." Her omni-tool shimmered into view, projecting a miniature image of their leader into the air above her wrist. He was standing, cigar in hand.

She snapped a quick salute. "Sir?"

"Miranda," the man said. "I've been keeping up with your mission progress. I understand that your team is holding the facility against a Collector assault."

"Indeed, sir," she confirmed. "Why have you contacted us?"

The man drew a deep breath through the expensive cigar between his fingers. "I want you to pull out. Get back to _Profectus_."

Miranda was surprised. "Pull out, sir? We have to hold against the Collectors. Wasn't our goal to ensure that this device goes off?"

"We have to look beyond just this project," the man responded. "Lazarus cell and its personnel are too vital to sacrifice over this mission. I want you, Jacob, and the Professor on board the Profectus. We can't afford to lose you."

Miranda nodded. "Understood, sir." The hologram flickered away.

"Alright!" she shouted. "Everyone make sure your weapons and omni-tools are cooled down and ready to go. Once their next wave is down, Taylor, Solus and I will push for the exit. The rest of you, remain here and ensure that this device goes off. Am I understood?"

A chorus of 'aye's replied over the radio. Jacob frowned. "We're just going to leave the others here?"

"They know what's at stake, and they know their place," Miranda said coldly.

Jacob shook his head. In just this mission alone, he'd seen more than enough sacrifice for a lifetime.

* * *

Liara rubbed her eyes, squinting at the holographic readouts before her. They'd recovered a significant amount of data from terminals on the surface of Ilos, and she was still spending nearly every waking moment analyzing it. What she'd seen so far was remarkable. There was more Prothean history encoded in what they'd managed to recover in an hour on Ilos than in every other dig site she'd visited combined.

She ran her finger over a line of symbols. "To give our sky… No, wait, to give up our birds? Something about flight, and giving…"

"Fighting," she translated on the next line. "Fighting… and this symbol means something negative. A peace agreement, perhaps? It's in formal dialect, and… hmm…"

She moved down another line. "Crops," she translated carefully. "Something… stability? Preservation? Perhaps storing food supplies, or… or…"

She scanned over the lines again. "Wait," she muttered to herself. "No, no. To give… to surrender our… flight. No… no blocking? No… resistance? And farming… harvest… sow… reap…"

She was giddy with excitement. She'd been pouring over this specific piece of text for nearly a week now, and she could feel she was close to a breakthrough. There was something important here. She probably should've asked Shepard for help, given his miraculous total understanding of the Prothean language through the Cipher, but he'd always been too busy with other things. Perhaps, internally, she wanted to figure it out herself. There was something about that moment when your hard work pays off…

Liara continued to squint at the text, fully focused. Even when she heard Joker's voice come through the intercom, warning the crew to brace, she took no heed. The ship lurched from side to side, but she let the g-forces wash over her, ignoring them as best she could. But eventually, something happened that she definitely couldn't ignore.

The ship was rattled by an impact. "Hull breach on Engineering Deck!" Joker screamed over the intercom. "One of those drone things hit us. All security personnel: get down there, now!"

She jumped up from her chair. She wasn't technically security personnel, but her biotic training and experience on Shepard's ground team made her one of the most combat-capable individuals on the ship. Liara dashed out of her room, through the med-bay, and headed straight for the elevator.


	33. T-Minus

**Shepard Likes Rocket Launchers**

~Chapter 33~

"You don't understand."

There was an eerie quiet in the dusty cavern, the dust storms outside muffled near-completely. Two male drell sat by a fire, an array of parts and equipment strewn around them. One's back was arched, the greenish-brown of his skin dulled to gray like that of the arid walls around them.

"This," he coughed, "is how it ends, then?"

"Siha?"

"Don't call me that," he grumbled back. "I don't deserve it. No one on this planet deserves it. Not anymore."

"You shouldn't think like that, siha. The pipeline is repaired, we uncovered two crates of rations last week…"

"They won't last," he said quietly. "We caused this. We can't fix it."

"Caused what, siha?"

Their ancient radio, its plastic surface cracked and caked with dirt, fizzled on. "_This is SSV Normandy. The colony of Horizon is under attack. I repeat, the Horizon colony is under attack. We are being pursued by hostile forces. Any vessels in the area, please respond._"

"You should turn that thing off, siha. It's a waste of batteries."

"Is anything we do anymore not a waste? Any more of a waste than what we've already done?"

"This isn't over, siha."

The faint sound of erratic gunfire echoed its way into their cave, the sharp rapports interrupting the howl of the storms.

"_Repeat, this is SSV Normandy_," their radio fizzled. "_The Collectors and the terrorist group Cerberus have attacked Horizon, in the Iera system. Anyone near enough to assist, respond immediately_."

"We have more gunpowder than grain," he sighed. "I remember the days when our cities stood tall and proud. Before the _itirilmis_. At dinner, our tables were piled to the brim. We thought we were invincible."

"Siha…"

His eyes became distant. "The sun glints off the glass," he muttered. "A screen displays the news. My mother frowns, her grip tightening around my hand. I look up, 'what's wrong,' I ask. She tells me 'nothing'."

"Siha?"

"There's less on the table," he continued. "The next day, even less. My mother tells me nothing's wrong, everything's the same. But I know. I feel it in her voice. I hear it in the tone of the news, though I don't understand what they're saying-"

"Siha," the other hissed. "Snap out of it, siha!"

"_We are taking fire and have been breached by Collector drones_," the radio spat. "_The colony must be evacuated. Anyone hearing this, respond!_"

"The sun rises. We leave our home. 'We'll be back soon,' my mother says. But we aren't. Men, men with guns, take us underground. 'You'll be safe here,' they say. Then the ground begins to shake. People scream."

"_A Cerberus frigate and at least a dozen Collector interceptors have engaged us. Damage so far is negligible, but our position is unsustainable, and the surface of the colony is lost. Someone, please be hearing this._"

"The men with the guns leave. They don't come back. My mother cries, the tears sliding down her face. The door opens. There's yelling, fighting. My mother takes my hand, and we run, for the light. Someone shouts. There's a bang. My mother falls flat. 'Go,' she tells me. 'Kalahira will guide us together again.' So I go. I go through the heavy door and close it behind me. And outside… our city, our home, is gone, replaced by smoke. _Itirilmis_."

There is silence in the cavern for a long time. It's a heavy not-quite-silence, with the dust storm raging and faint cracks echoing through the wind. Finally, one of them speaks.

"There are others," the younger says. "The hanar came for us. Elsewhere, we've built cities as great as the old. _Itirilmis_ will not end us. We live, siha."

The elder looked up. "Perhaps. And perhaps, then, Rakhana lives as well."

The dry silt beneath his feet made no move to prove him right.

* * *

"Sir?"

The man made a quick hand motion, clearing the displays around him and rotating his chair around. "Doctor Chandana? This is a surprise. There's a lot going on right now. I'll assume you're not wasting my time."

The scientist nodded, but the man in the chair was an experienced body-reader. Chandana's stance was less than confident.

"We've been analyzing this thing's core. We've noticed remarkable similarities between its configuration and the harmonic balancing that we've observed in the mass relays. This was expected, of course. The core isn't proportionally large, but proportionally massive."

Incoming data flickered over the man's displays.

"The Alliance ran simulations modeling cores of various densities. Our models went haywire far before they were anywhere close to what the Reapers have. But we've had a breakthrough. The microstructures of the balancing rings contain sub-molecular machinery that represses the latent entropy. It's a major step, but we still don't know their structure, why exactly our models are failing, or how they work."

The man nodded ponderously as he looked over the data. "It's still excellent progress, Doctor. Is there anything else?"

Chandana took a breath. "Yes, sir. I doubt anyone's ever examined a relay like we're examining this core, and even if they did, they wouldn't have known what to look for. We need more data to confirm our hypotheses, and there's not much more we can do here. I'd like to request a transfer of our team to Ilos, to examine the Conduit. A comparison between a Prothean replica and a true Reaper device might be what we need to solidify our ideas."

Chandana quickly glanced from side to side. "And… sir? I think the team's getting sick of this place. I've had a few headaches myself yelling at them to stop being paranoid."

The man sighed, taking a deep draft of a freshly-lit cigar. He let the scientist wait for a few seconds before letting out the breath and replying.

"Permission denied," he said coldly. "I'm certain there's more to that site than what you've uncovered so far. We can have another team examine the Ilos relay, if you insist."

Chandana scratched his head. "You're sure, sir? My team has the experience, and it'd do us all some good to-"

"You heard me," the man said firmly. "Permission. Denied."

Chandana's shoulders visibly drooped. "Understood, sir. Chandana out."

He turned, and his hologram fizzled away.

The man rotated his chair back around to face the bloom of Anadius. "Initiate remote lockdown of the derelict," he ordered quietly. "Send a security unit in, full hazard."

"_Yes, sir_."

* * *

The Mako rolled through the forest, towards the source of the signal. There were slight thumps against the hull where seeker insects slapped against it, trying to get at those inside.

"These are Collectors?" Shepard wondered. "They're… _bugs_, and way different from rachni. Never seen anything like them before. Where did they come from?"

"Beats me," Garrus said, "but they don't seem very friendly."

The tactical readouts tagged another vehicle, rising into the air ahead of them. "Something's up ahead," Tali warned. "Shuttle, range: two hundred meters, above the tree line. No IFF. Looks like they're leaving."

The shuttle rapidly accelerated upwards, out of their sight. "That had to have been Cerberus," Shepard grumbled. "We can't let them get away." He opened a link to the _Normandy_. "Shepard to _Normandy_. Do you read?"

"_Kinda busy here, Shepard!_" Joker's voice replied.

* * *

"This is what they needed in those Academy flight sims," Joker jested. "Pinpoint-fucking accurate enemy fire to dodge."

"I can't help but notice," Pressly pointed out, "that other than that one in our cargo hold, nothing's gotten through our barriers yet."

"_I_ can't help but notice," Joker rebuked, "that you can be pretty under-appreciative even when under fire! We're faster than them, but those eyeball drones have particle beams that, I will point out, your fancy tactical readout _doesn't show_. We're lucky there aren't any asteroids around or anything. One direct hit from those beams will go straight through us, and then we'd be kinda boned. "

Pressly rolled his eyes. If he'd been anyone else, Joker would've earned a court martial right there.

Pencil-thin red lines criss-crossed the space around them as they weaved about the upper atmosphere.

"If you didn't realize, this is not my 'I'm having fun dodging' voice. This is my 'I hope to god the next one doesn't fucking hit us' voice. You know, with all the swear words in it?"

"What's up with the one in our hull then?" Pressly asked. "Why haven't we been torn apart yet?"

"Shushushushushhhhh," Joker said quickly. "I don't need any more crap to worry about right now!"

* * *

Liara held her pistol at the ready as the elevator descended, slowly bringing the cargo bay into view. Beside her were three of the ship's marines, armored and holding their rifles wearily.

But before the elevator even stopped, a beam of deadly red shot forth out of the cargo bay, straight towards them. Liara barely managed to put up a barrier, stopping the beam just short of hitting them, its red energies blossoming over the field. The marines blindly opened fire from behind it, in the direction of the beam. Liara gritted her teeth as she maintained the barrier.

After nearly ten seconds, the beam finally faded, revealing its source: a hovering spherical drone made of dull grey metal. It resembled an eyeball, with a round lens socketed on the side facing them.

From within the transparent section, an aperture of some sort whirred open, and a red glow began to form once more…

"Get in cover!" one of the marines shouted. They sprinted into the cargo bay, placing the support struts between them and the drone. Liara ducked by one of the marines as the red beam carved into the metal at their backs.

"Next frigate design," the marine panted, "needs stairs to each deck. _Multiple_ ones."

Liara nodded hastily in agreement.

"Our rifles didn't even make a dent!" shouted one of the others from across the room. "How are we going to kill this thing?"

Liara raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

She gestured behind him at a rack of rocket launchers.

"Oh."

* * *

"I was supposed to be meeting with Parliament members," Udina said in his usual clipped manner. "I sincerely hope this meeting is as urgent as you claimed it to be."

Besides the four Councilors, the Citadel Tower was completely and unusually empty. They'd called a private emergency conference, for reasons that the former ambassador did not yet know.

"This concerns your own race more than any of ours," Sparatus explained, "_Councilor_ Udina."

"Indeed?" he mused. "What is it then?"

"The Special Tasks Group has been following an information trail out in the Terminus," Valern revealed. "In the few weeks since Saren's attack, we've confirmed that at least seven colonies have unexpectedly vanished. They shared few similarities or outstanding features except one: they were all human."

"Hah!" Udina snorted. "Anti-human sentiment out in the Terminus? This is hardly news. Those colonists were all warned when they left the protection of the Alliance."

"We don't yet know exactly who's responsible," Valern continued. "But we suspect this is more than mere slavers and pirates. Fehl Prime was attacked by a large vessel with no identifier. According to your own Alliance's reports, the ship was brought down at the cost of the majority of the colonial population."

"That report crossed my desk," Udina admitted. "Our team reported no leads, no salvageable technology, nothing that would point to who owned that ship, other than-"

"-the testimony of the soldiers that brought it down," Valern finished for him. "They identified the attackers as belonging to an insectoid species, with four eyes, wings, and chitinous plating. No actual bodies were recovered, but the description matches rumors circulating in the Terminus of a species known as the Collectors."

Udina leaned forward. "Bogeymen, then? Like Shepard's 'Reapers?' What do we really know?"

Valern brought up an omni-tool. "We know that Cerberus is involved somehow. I trust you are aware of them, Councilor?"

"I am," Udina responded briskly. "How are they connected?"

"Every time Cerberus is tagged in our listening network, the Collectors are tagged along with them. A source has been feeding us information on both of them simultaneously. It's not enough to draw solid conclusions, but enough to suggest some form of link."

Tevos cleared her throat. "Be it as it may, this is a largely human matter. Councilor Udina, what do you advise?"

He rubbed his chin. "I suppose I can't argue with reports like these, even if these colonies are in the Terminus. I'd authorize an Alliance task force to investigate on behalf of the Council. With your permission, of course."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Our latest intelligence suggests Collector activity in the Iera system," Valern noted. "I would deploy the task force there first, see what's going on."

"Thank you for the recommendation, Councilor," Udina replied.

"Be careful how you handle this," Tevos warned. "You are still quite new to this Council and its workings. Be discreet. Do not attempt anything that may jeopardize your status, or your entire race may lose credibility."

"I'll take that under advisement. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a task force to put together."

* * *

/Codex Updated: Biotics and Control Gestures

* * *

_Reach out to touch the threads that bind us. _

Liara now reached out with her arm, curling her fingers to aid in calling her biotics. The hulking machine before her whined and whirred, it's eye building up to glow red once more.

_Every action sends ripples across the galaxy. _

Biotics are explained by many as manipulation of gravity by the mind. Gravity doesn't care about size, yet it is concrete, real. Why should the mind? What is a wall to one who can leap?

_We are all connected._

She breathed out, opening her eyes and slowly unclenching her fist. Before her, the massive oculus floated, wrapped in a powerful, restrictive biotic bubble.

"Stasis deployed," she reported calmly. "I suggest you retrieve the heavy weapons now."

The marines abandoned their cover and jogged over to the weapon rack, pulling off three of the rocket launchers and powering them up.

"We're ready," one of them said. "Once that stasis ends, we'll light it up."

Liara nodded, stepping back behind the support strut.

The shifting blue faded from the drone, and the marines let loose a barrage of rockets. Blast after blast rocked the room. When the smoke cleared, all that was left of the machine were twisted shards of metal, which slowly began to burn themselves away.

* * *

A lance of yellow burst out from the trees, grinding into the shields of the Mako. "Contact!" Garrus shouted. "Bipedal, average height, particle beam weapon."

Shepard gritted his teeth, wheeling the Mako to face the threat. He tapped the firing controls, and from the swiveling mounts on its sides, the Mako spat out a pair of guided rockets. They flew true, disappearing into the trees and causing the beam to cease.

"I guess the Collectors aren't just a bunch of tiny bugs," Tali mused.

"More of them!" Garrus warned as red blips popped up on their radar.

"We don't have time for this." Shepard punched the accelerator, and the Mako leapt forwards. Yellow beams grazed them as they rolled onwards.

* * *

"How long do we have?" Ashley asked, worriedly.

Kaidan looked up. "I don't know," he replied truthfully. "Could be thirty minutes, could be one." He quickly looked back down, where he'd jury-rigged Ashley's omni-tool up as a blowtorch. It slowly but surely burned through the device's protective casing.

"This is ridiculous," Ashley muttered. "How much deeper does it have to burn before we can try to disable this thing?"

"At least another inch," Kaidan answered. "That won't get us all the way through, but we'll have a better chance of punching in with our rifles and not killing ourselves with the ricochet."

Then, they heard the sound of muffled gunfire from behind the room's sealed doors. "What's going on out there?" Ashley wondered.

* * *

"_Ground team to _Profectus_. Come in, _Profectus_."_

Miranda stalked up to the SR-2's bridge. "We read you, ground team. What's your status?"

"_We cannot hold, _Profectus_. The Collectors have brought in god-damn living dead. We're getting torn to shreds."_

Miranda winced. "Not sure we got that correctly. Ground team, could you repeat?"

"_I repeat, the Collectors have stopped charging our positions. We're being swarmed by mutated, cybernetic humans. There's this monster made of fucking human skulls with particle beam eyes, for fucks sake. We're backed up all the way to the primary chamber. Get Lentz to override the lockdown, or we're dead._"

Miranda sucked in a breath. "Husks, like the ones on Eden Prime. I guess that confirms the connection we were suspected." She turned to face the project lead behind her. "Lentz? Is it worth unlocking the primary objective?"

"Absolutely not," Lentz replied, with conviction. "The lockdown doesn't just close the doors; it alters the operating protocols of the pulse. It needs to be in effect, or the Collectors could disable the device."

"Profectus_! We're dying down here! Override the goddamn lockd-_"

"Close the channel," Miranda said, cutting off the signal. "Where's that Alliance ship? Are we certain they won't be able to interfere?"

"They dropped a vehicle, but Collector drones are on their tail," her helmsman answered. "We saw one of the interceptors punch straight into their hull. They're probably in a world of hurt. They won't get in the way."

Miranda frowned. "I'm not convinced. Who are they? Have we pinged their IFF?"

"Yes, ma'am. The SSV _Normandy_."

She froze. "You said they dropped a vehicle?"

"Standard marine Mako APC, ma'am."

"Bring us towards them," she ordered. "Have EDI hack into their communications. I'll get in touch with the Illusive Man."

* * *

The vehicle's radio crackled. "Commander Shepard." The voice was of a male human, unfamiliar to all of them.

"Who are you?" Shepard asked. "How did you get on this channel?"

Trees continued to whizz by outside. They were nearly at the anomaly now.

"I am… an advocate. For all of us. You may call me the Illusive Man, if you wish. There's a lot we should discuss."

"You're with Cerberus, aren't you?" Shepard shot back. "Tali, find a way to shut him out."

"Wait," the voice said. "You may have gotten off on the wrong foot with certain members of my organization, but you should listen to what I have to say. We're fighting the Reapers, just like you."

"You know about them?"

"Of course, Shepard. While the Council may have turned a blind eye, we listened to you. You're a symbol of what humanity can accomplish, Shepard. We share the same goal: stopping the Reapers. Perhaps we can work together."

"Screw off," Shepard replied. "You're trying to purge a human colony. You're madmen."

"We're here!" Garrus reported. "There's a bunker. Turrets on top are destroyed, door's been melted open."

"I can access their network," Tali added. "Downloading their floor plans."

"Look around you, Shepard," the man hissed. "That colony is lost. This purge will eliminate those Collectors and leave their technology intact. This is the only way we can hope to defeat the Reapers. What we'll learn is worth the sacrifice."

"I think killing _you_ would be a worthwhile sacrifice," Shepard countered. "I'm stopping your plans. We'll find a way to defeat the Reapers without massacring ourselves in the process."

"That kind of thinking is foolish, shortsighted. It'll just get all of us killed. We can't imagine the power that the Reapers wield. Knowledge must be our weapon." He sighed. "It's clear you don't want to pursue collaboration now. Truthfully, I don't want you to be hurt, Shepard, so I'll act in good faith. I'll be hearing from you again soon."

"The hell he is," Shepard grumbled. "What did he mean, 'act in good faith'?"

* * *

"Cerberus vessel is back on our sensors," Pressly noted. "They've opened fire… on the drones after us?"

The sleek Cerberus frigate spat out a volley of deadly accurate Javelin torpedoes, each one finding its mark, blasting apart their pursuers. The red beams around them ceased.

"Permission to speak candidly, sir?" Joker asked, being surprisingly formal considering the f-bomb he'd been arming earlier.

"Go ahead, Joker."

"I am so goddamn confused right now."

* * *

"How big is the facility?" Shepard asked. "Can you locate the purge device?"

"It's… substantial," Tali answered. "Not like this massive electromagnetic anomaly is hiding from us, though."

Then, their tactical display blacked out, to be replaced by two pairs of digits, separated by a colon. Together, they spelled out a number. A time.

**03:56**

It was counting down. Below it, the Cerberus insignia glowed, one diamond set in another.

"Our system must have been infiltrated," Tali informed him. "The display is completely overridden, I'll try and-"

"Shit," Shepard said with growing realization. "Joker! Get your ass down here! We're going to need a pick-up, real soon!"

"_Commander, hell if I know what's going on, but I hear you. The Cerberus ship just cleared the drones off of our ass. We're coming in_."

"Do we go in, Commander?" Garrus asked. "If that countdown's accurate…"

"We need to try," Shepard answered.

* * *

_**Shepard.**_

_**You could have been useful.**_

_**Progress cannot be halted.**_

_**You cannot escape your destiny.**_

* * *

Before Shepard could open the Mako's hatch, a creature of some sort stepped out from the bunker. It was far larger than a Collector, but had a similar structure, crab-like chitin over its head, and insectoid legs dangling below.

What Shepard immediately noticed about it was the thirty human skulls, grotesquely cobbled together to form its midsection.

Its eyes flashed blue, and twin particle beams lanced out towards them. The Mako's shields flared from the attacks.

"Can't see the shield readouts because of this Cerberus hack," Garrus reported, "but I'm guessing they're taking a beating!"

Shepard rotated the Mako's turret and fired. The round smacked into the horrific creature's barriers without effect.

He flicked on the rocket launchers, but before they could fire, their shields failed, letting the twin beams sear into their hull. Shepard cursed, hitting the accelerator. The vehicle wheeled away, kicking up a trail of dirt. He glanced at the overridden tactical readout.

**02:39**

"Someone transfer that countdown to their omni-tool and get our tactical display back," Shepard said. "We'll circle around and try to take that _thing_ out."

"Shepard!" Tali interjected. "Are you crazy? That facility is hundreds of square meters. There's no way we'd get down there in time."

"She's right," Garrus agreed. "Like it or not, we've gotta go, Shepard."

"Dammit," he whispered. "Kaidan's down there."

The _Normandy_ appeared above, hovering over the treetops. Its ramp slowly eased open. "_Coming in, Commander_," Joker told them. "_Waiting for your jump._ _Seyci just gave us an update, by the way. Apparently, Cerberus hijacked our communications for a few minutes there. Everything good?"_

Shepard glanced at the display:

**02:16**

"We'll run a sweep later." He triggered the Mako's jump jets, bringing them just above the tree line. The Normandy dipped down, scooping the vehicle inside cleanly.

There was a slight jolt as the wheels touched the cargo bay floor. "Get us out of here, Joker."

"_Aye aye, commander._" The _Normandy_ nosed up and boosted away.

* * *

Ashley put a hand to her ear. "Gunfire's stopped. Who do you think was shooting? Maybe the colonial militia found them?"

"Whoever it is, we're still stuck here," Kaidan pointed out. "The blowtorch is almost through the casing. We haven't got any grenades or ammunition mods, but if we just keep putting bullets into the thing… It's way easier to break electronics than to accidentally activate them."

Suddenly, a portion of the door began to sizzle and glow orange. "Uh, LT?" Ashley said. "We may have a problem."

"They're burning through the door?" Kaidan grumbled. "Great. We still have no idea who it is, do we?"

The metal of the door finally gave out, and a yellow beam forced its way in through a small opening.

"That's definitely not standard Alliance breach protocol!" Kaidan remarked.

They readied their weapons. The beam ceased, and through the jagged hole, several inches in diameter, a small insect-like creature crawled in.

"What the heck is that?" Ashley asked.

Then it fluttered its wings and launched itself straight at them. "Look out!" Kaidan warned, raising his rifle and knocking the insect out of the air with a well-placed shot.

Carried forwards by its momentum, the bug tumbled into the Ashley's chest before its body disintegrated into embers. The ashes crumpled to the ground.

"Never seen anything like that before," Ashley said. "This… this is NOT good."

From the small opening in the door, more of the insects began to enter. The two of them sprayed bullets at them and kept them at bay. Each time one was hit, it incinerated itself, and another skittered forward to take its place.

"Hand me your rifle and get to the blowtorch. I'll hold these things off. We have to make sure this thing is disabled."

"Got it," Kaidan confirmed, laying down his rifle beside her and dashing to check on their progress. As Ashley's gun overheated, she tossed it aside and picked up Kaidan's, pausing for only a moment to re-sight before firing again.

The improvised blowtorch seemed painfully slow. "Come on," Kaidan coaxed. "A few more millimeters…"

"Are we good?" Ashley shouted. "They're burning another hole through! I won't be able to keep them out by myself for much longer!"

"Screw it," Kaidan grumbled, shutting down the torch and tossing it aside. He trained his pistol on the hissing dent and rapidly pulled the trigger. To his relief, the bullets penetrated, and he could hear circuits being shattered inside.

"They're through!" Ashley shouted. "Too many of them to keep back, I can't… augh!"

Kaidan turned, pistol raised. But the insects had clambered all over Ashley, and she now stood frozen, snared in an orange field that Kaidan didn't recognize. The insects buzzed through the air towards him as well.

He summoned his biotics, swinging his arm to blast the cloud of insects away from him. This kept them at back, but he was getting tired. Each biotic push left him more breathless, more exposed. He felt a migrane began to build in the base of his skull.

After one final push, his implant gave out, making him collapse to the ground in pain. The insects were on him in seconds, and he found himself completely unable to move, looking out on the world as though through a strange orange lens.

He saw a strange creature of mottled brown walk into his field of vision. It stared impassively at the device in the center of the room.

_What is that thing? Why is it here?_

"Warning," he heard a VI say. "System malfunction. Neutron pulse unstable. Warning. Critical damage detected to vital components."

_Good_, he thought. _At least we managed to stop that._

"Lockdown status confirmed. Contingency measures activated. Correcting for internal damage. Releasing neutron pulse of maximum possible strength."

_What, _he thought drowsily. _Oh, no. No. That's bad. Really bad_.

It was the last thought he had before everything went white. And shortly afterwards, everything went black.

* * *

A near-invisible wave of energy radiated out from the forest. As it passed, birds fell from the sky. Four-legged mammals toppled over, their short bleats of pain abruptly cut off as the energized particles rent their insides apart.

_**You have failed.**_

Trees died where they stood. They would remain green and standing for days, perhaps weeks, as the insects that would normally consume them were irradiated as well.

_**This is not the conclusion.**_

The blue-tinged pulse reached the edge of the colony. Swaths of seeker insects flopped out of the air. The pulse ignored the thin walls of the pre-fab units, swatting down the Collectors inside like the silent hand of a deity.

_**These shells are only vehicles.**_

The Collector ship, still grounded, didn't budge as the wave crashed over it. But inside, trapped in pods, more than two hundred thousand humans opened their mouths in silent screams as they were shredded just the same as their captors.

_**You think this a victory. A colony sacrificed.**_

_**We are not finished.**_

_**You have only delayed the inevitable.**_

_**I will find you again, Shepard.**_

* * *

Author's Note: The Codex is currently being slapped unto the end of Chapter 1. It's all personal flavor text written by me, largely unedited and uninteresting, and completely not needed to follow the story. I think I'll end up creating another codex-like story to store this information in a format that's more readable. That's for later, though. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I always love to get feedback.


End file.
